The Risks of Gambling
by randomteenager
Summary: [AU] Tifa didn't know she had a gambling problem until she staked her freedom… and lost. [CloudTifa] [ZackAerith]
1. The Stake

**Author's Note:** Happy New Year everyone! In the spirit of the New Year, I've decided to upload another story in a different genre. Exciting, I know. I hope you all enjoy the story! Feedback is appreciated. :)

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing at all.

* * *

><p><strong>The Risks of Gambling<strong>

Summary: [AU] Tifa didn't know she had a gambling problem until she staked her freedom… and lost. [CloudTifa] [ZackAerith]

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1 – The Stake<strong>

The lights glittered across the large room as Cloud Strife, Zack Fair and Aerith Gainsborough stepped inside. Both men donned expensive Armani suits as Aerith wore a violet cocktail dress.

"Alright, finally!" Zack proclaimed with a wide grin, winding his arm around Aerith's waist. "It's about time we got here."

"This is pointless, Zack," Cloud said. "You know I don't like to gamble."

Zack turned to his best friend. "Come on, Strife, live a little!" he exclaimed, giving Cloud a friendly smack on the back. "You never know whom you'll meet at these things," he added, grinning towards Aerith who smiled in return.

The casino was full of men and women, each crowding the gambling tables. The slot machines were filled across each row as the smell of cigarettes overflowed in the room.

"So, where should we go to first?" asked Zack as Aerith pointed at a couple options.

While the two idly talked, Cloud glanced around the room, standing nonchalantly with his hands fisted in his pockets.

He watched a few women in the casino walk by him and turn their heads, openly staring at him. Some would even flash him a flirtatious smile and bat their thick, fake eyelashes. However, Cloud ignored their advances, remaining indifferent to the women. After all, it was Zack who kept goading him to come, so much that Cloud felt he would never get any peace unless he agreed. He was here simply as a favor to his friend, nothing more.

Finally Cloud settled his eyes on a poker table with little people filling the seats. After exchanging some money for poker chips, he walked towards the table as Zack and Aerith followed indolently behind him. Once he approached the table, Cloud idly threw a few chips on the counter as the dealer began dealing cards to Zack and Cloud as Aerith sat patiently beside Zack.

"Welcome, gentleman. The game is Texas Hold 'Em," introduced the dealer as he finished passing out the cards. "What are your opening bets?"

Just as Cloud was about to pick up a few chips, he heard a loud commotion behind him.

"What? What do you mean _I_ lost? There's no way he could have gotten four of a kind! He must have CHEATED!"

Hearing the words slurred together, Cloud glanced over his shoulder, shifting his attention to the person who was making all the racket.

Cerulean eyes settled on a woman with brunette hair. She was standing up, her arms lightly shaking at her sides in fury as she glared at the casino dealer. Her cheeks were flushed as she breathed heavily. Cloud found his eyes drawn to her heaving chest before lowering to the slit in her dress, revealing long, smooth legs. The woman was dressed in a long black dress with a slit in the side and an open back.

When his eyes moved back to her face, her sleek brunette hair was tied up in a French twist with a few strands from her side bangs falling against her large, chocolate brown eyes fringed with thick lashes.

Cloud watched her for a few moments before resuming his attention to the card game in front of him, only to hear the clicking of heels behind him and the scrape of a chair being pushed backwards.

His eyes shifted to the side to see the same brunette woman he was looking at taking a seat right beside him. Her perfume flooded his nose along with the scent of alcohol.

Seeing how she sat down, Cloud noted she was tipsy as she clutched to the shot glass with clear vodka filled inside it.

"I'll probably—probably have better luck here," the woman slurred out, "because… because you're not a cheater, right?"

She lifted her eyes from the table to the dealer who smiled in return. "Not that I know of, ma'am."

"Good! Let's play!" she shouted, tossing a few chips to the center.

Feeling a nudge at his side, Cloud turned his attention to Zack who was wiggling his eyebrows suggestively, giving his friend a thumbs-up. Cloud knew exactly what Zack was referring to (especially since his eyes wouldn't stop darting between himself and the woman), but the blonde remained impassive.

Seeing Cloud's expression, Zack gave him a pointed look. Leaning towards him, he said, "Dude, the chick next to you is a bombshell! She's the type of girl you need in your life!"

Feeling a firm squeeze on his shoulder, Zack craned his neck over his shoulder, seeing Aerith giving him a heated stare with her distinct jade eyes. Zack laughed uneasily from his girlfriend's stare, bending his arm behind his head as he scratched his hair, adding, "But she's nowhere compared to you, Aerith. You're smokin'!"

Aerith shook her head, playfully rolling her eyes at the flattering remark nonetheless. Tugging on his sleeve, she suggested, "Let's go to the slot machines, Zack."

Zack gave her a questioning look. "Why? I'm feeling lucky here, I think got a good shot of winning—"

When Aerith cleared her throat and jerked her head, Zack followed her gaze to Cloud, seeing the spiky-haired blonde glancing from the dealer's cards to the brunette woman, then repeating the pattern once more.

Zack looked back at Aerith as a wide, wolfish grin appeared on his features. "Alright, alright…" he turned towards the dealer. "I fold," he said, passing his cards to him before standing up and placing an arm around Aerith's shoulders. "Remind me to tell Cloud he owes me."

Aerith giggled softly, holding the hand that was around her shoulders. "Just follow me, Zack," she told him as she led him over towards the slot machines.

* * *

><p><em>Two hours later…<em>

* * *

><p>"The lady wins again," the dealer announced as Tifa cheered.<p>

"Alright, I'm on fire tonight!" she exclaimed as she took another swig of her drink. She then leaned across the table and gathered her winning chips.

As the dealer gathered the cards and dealt once more, Tifa rested her elbow against the table, leaning her face into the palm of her hand as she glanced over to Cloud.

"What's your name?" she asked, absentmindedly twirling a piece of her hair. Seeing Cloud merely glance at her and say nothing, Tifa smiled lopsidedly. "Not much of a talker, huh?" she asked, tilting her face further into her hand. After checking her cards and seeing what cards were on the table, she raised a $1,000 worth in chips. "That's fine," she continued, lazily glancing at the blonde. "My name's Tifa. Just so you can remember the name of the woman who's going to beat you 11 times straight!"

_Tifa…?_ Cloud repeated in his mind. _That name… sounds familiar…_ He glanced at her once more before pushing the thought to the back of his head.

"Don't get overconfident," the blonde stated, remaining unperturbed by his series of losses. After all, he was simply playing the game to have something to do.

As the dealer put down another card, Tifa smiled widely at her hand. "If you say so," she said, glancing between the pot and her hand. She had a Straight Flush running from the 8 to the Queen of Hearts. Taking a couple of chips, Tifa tossed them toward the center of the table. "I raise $10,000."

"Do you call, monsieur?" asked the dealer.

Cloud simply nodded, tossing the same amount in chips.

"You know, most men often never have the opportunity to spend time with me," Tifa began. "Normally because I'm very… selective." When she saw Cloud eye her from her head to her toe, her smile widened. "Tell you what. If I lose my hand, you can have me."

Cloud rose an eyebrow at her offer. "You're betting yourself?"

Tifa nodded, her smile confident. "That's right. All of me. You'd have me at your disposal."

Cloud found her offer tempting, but upon whiffing the scent of alcohol that seemed to radiate from her, he quickly realized she was probably making the offer because she wasn't in a stable mindset. But he didn't pay too much attention. Her offer definitely made the dulling game more interesting.

"And in return?" he asked.

"For my stake, I want your Rolex watch and keys to your Lamborghini," she replied matter-of-factly. "I'll use the car, but the watch will make a nice gift for my father, since he lost that same model and they discontinued it's making."

Cloud's face was stoic. "You value yourself for only a couple million?"

"Not at all," she replied, though her speech was still slurred. She placed her hand on his arm, smiling alluringly when she felt him tense. "But you're cute, so I'll give you a discount."

Cloud glanced between her hand and her face before moving his arm out of her grasp. "Call," he stated, removing his Rolex watch and tossing his keys in the pot. He thought nothing of offering his watch and car, as they were simply possessions, nothing more.

Tifa smiled when she saw him give up his watch and keys. _Too easy…_ she thought. After all, when she offered herself to a variety of businessmen, she knew their judgment would be so clouded at the idea of having her at their disposal that she could get them to offer whatever she wanted in return.

"Reveal your hands," said the dealer.

Tifa slammed down her cards. "Read it and weep," she taunted victoriously. She laughed and began to reach to collect her winnings before the dealer shot out an arm in front of her.

"Before you collect the pot," the dealer told her, "look at your opponent's hand."

Tifa froze, her brown eyes slowly looking at Cloud's hand that lay neatly assorted on the table. Her heart sank in her stomach when she saw he had a Royal Flush, with a 10 to the Ace of Spades.

"Monsieur Strife wins," declared the dealer.

Tifa's mouth hung open as she sunk slowly back into her seat, her expression devastated.

Cloud silently retrieved his winnings, refastening his watch to his arm as he shook his wrist to settle the watch comfortably back on his arm.

"But—I—he—" Tifa mumbled, stunned at the idea of having she lost.

_I hadn't lost the whole night! _she thought to herself, reflecting on each game. _I can always tell people's bluffs, but this one…_

She sighed, raising her hands to rub her throbbing temples. She then grabbed her shot glass and downed the shot of tequila. She wiped her mouth with her hand and turned in her chair.

"Excuse me, waiter—!" Tifa yelled before turning around once more. "Oh…" She moved her hand to her forehead as she swayed side to side.

"Ma'am," asked the dealer, "are you all right?"

The brunette nodded, feeling her cheeks flushed from the alcohol. "I… I think so…" she mumbled. "Just… a little… sleepy…" She then slumped against the table.

Seeing her even breathing, Cloud realized she had fallen asleep.

"Do you know who she is here with, monsieur?" the dealer asked Cloud as he looked between the blonde and Tifa.

"No," Cloud replied succinctly, glancing at Tifa as well.

_Tifa…_ he thought to himself. _Why does that name seem so—?_

"Yo, Cloud!"

Hearing a voice calling him brought Cloud out of his thoughts. Turning around, he saw Zack and Aerith approaching him.

"So, how was the game?" asked Zack, glancing at the poker chips placed in front of Cloud.

"Fine," Cloud plainly answered, glancing at Tifa who remained soundly asleep.

"Is she all right?" asked Aerith, her face concerned as she walked beside Tifa and placed an arm on her shoulder.

"She drank too much," Cloud informed her, gathering his winnings as he tossed a couple chips to the dealer.

"You aren't just going to leave her here, are you?" questioned Aerith with a frown, gently shoving Tifa's shoulder to try and wake her up.

"I don't feel right about leaving her here either, Aerith, but we don't know anything about her. She could be a thief or a fugitive for all we know," Zack reasoned, scratching the back of his head.

Aerith's frowned deepened, glancing towards the blonde. "Cloud?"

Cloud blinked, then tilted his head to the ground to evade Aerith's pleading eyes. "Zack has a point," he commented.

"You two are too overprotective," said Aerith, standing up and crossing her arms across her chest. "But for good reason…" She tilted her face down, tapping her chin as she contemplated. "How about I keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't do anything, does that help?"

Both Aerith and Zack glanced at Cloud.

Feeling his friends' stares boring into him, Cloud glanced away, muttering a simple, "Fine."


	2. Proposal

**Author's Note:** Thank you for the responses so far! I'm glad you're all enjoying the story :) Feedback is appreciated!

**Disclaimer:**I own nothing but the plot.

* * *

><p><strong>The Risks of Gambling<strong>

Summary: [AU] Tifa didn't know she had a gambling problem until she staked her freedom… and lost. [CloudTifa] [ZackAerith]

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2 – Proposal<strong>

Cloud entered the kitchen, fastening his tie to his neck as he noticed Zack buttoning his suit while Aerith attached his tie for him.

"Is she awake yet?" asked Cloud, shifting his gaze to Aerith.

She shook her head. "Not yet."

"I doubt she would be, if she was as wasted as you say, Cloud," added Zack. "It's eight in the morning. Hell, I shouldn't be awake right now!"

Aerith smiled at her boyfriend's antics as she patted his suit down. "I'm going to go check on her now," she said, giving Zack a peck on the lips. "Have fun at work, you two."

"Yeah, right," Zack scoffed as Cloud shook his head.

"Keep an eye on her, Aerith," the blonde said as he and Zack left out the door.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Cloud," said Zack, standing at his door of friend's office.<p>

Cloud glanced at him before continuing to write down a series of numbers. "What is it?"

"Sephiroth's here."

At the name, Cloud's ears perked. He shifted his gaze from the piles of paper in front of him to the raven-haired man. "Why?"

Zack shrugged. "I don't know, but he wants to talk to us."

Cloud sighed. "What did you do this time, Zack?"

Zack shook his head, waving his hands. "Nothing!" he fired back. He then paused, lifting his face upwards as his expression became thoughtful. "At least, I don't think so…" He shook his head. "Either way, better to not keep him waiting. You know how he gets."

The chair scraped against the floor as Cloud stood, nodding in agreement. He walked over to Zack, walking with him out the door.

Once they approached Sephiroth's office, Zack sighed, running a hand through his hair before he knocked lightly against the door.

"Come in," said the voice.

Both men entered the room, one following the other. Sephiroth turned in his chair, facing the pair.

"Zack, Cloud," he greeted, his low voice flat.

"No need for formalities, Sephiroth," said Zack. "What's this about?"

"Very well, I'll get straight to the point," said the silver-haired man. "As you two know, Shinra not only supplies power and electricity to various areas, it also conducts genetic testing." A thick packet of papers rested on his desk, which he shoved lightly towards Zack and Cloud. "This packet before me explains the Jenova project. I want to acquire the sole rights to it."

Cloud furrowed his eyebrows as he eyed the packet. "What's stopping you?"

"A man, by the name of Gast Faremis. He owns the rights. Many companies desire the Jenova project, and as a result, he's withholding giving the rights away until he feels he can give it to a company he can trust."

"Is this project that exclusive?"

"He found a way to enhance human abilities incredibly through a simple injection of Jenova cells," Sephiroth explained flatly. "You two already have a vague idea of what's that like, with your eyes."

Cloud and Zack glanced at one another, the mako infused in their eyes glowing.

The silver-haired man then turned towards Zack. "Fair, I have no concerns that you will be able to get the job done. But you, Strife," he moved to face Cloud, "you need to make yourself appear social. For starters, never go to an event without a beautiful woman at your side." Sephiroth ignored Cloud's narrowed eyes and continued, "It is of top priority to acquire the Jenova project. If you fail me, Strife, you will be fired."

Zack glared at the chairman. "That's not fair, Sephiroth."

Sephiroth leaned back against his chair coolly. "This is not open for debate, Fair."

"Zack."

Zack glanced at Cloud, reading the look in Cloud's eyes. He frowned, closing his mouth and pointing his gaze towards the floor.

"The job will get done, Sephiroth," Cloud muttered.

Sephiroth nodded as the corner of his mouth quirked up in a grin. "You always did make the right choices, Cloud."

"Yeah," he mumbled before turning on his heel and leaving the room, Zack trailing behind him.

"Man he's a huge pain in the ass," Zack grumbled, releasing an exasperated sigh. Then he glanced at Cloud. "About what Sephiroth said… do you have a game plan on how we're going to get the guy's trust?"

Cloud remained quiet, inadvertently glancing at the Rolex watch on his hand.

"You know," added Zack, "if we're going to start showing up to every party this guy Gast Faremis will be at, you're going to need a date." A wide grin spread across his handsome features as he nudged Cloud playfully. "How about that girl from last night? She looks like a good time, maybe she'll liven you up, make you more open."

As the two entered an elevator, Cloud looked at the raven-haired man. "She was drunken mess when we found her."

Zack shrugged. "Yeah, but she could have been having a bad day." Seeing no change in his friend's expression, Zack placed his hands in his pockets and leaned against the wall. "I say you think about it."

* * *

><p>Groggily, brown eyes opened.<p>

Blurred vision immediately met her before it eventually cleared.

Tifa groaned, sitting up slightly before collapsing back onto a bed. Her head was pounding against her skull as she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to dull the pain.

When she turned on her side, she felt the smooth, satin bed sheets beneath her. Her eyes snapped open. She sat up, ignoring the roaring throbbing pain that followed her sudden movement, and glanced around her surroundings.

_Wait… this isn't my room… _she thought with a frown.

The room was large and spacious. She noticed she was sleeping on a King sized bed as a velvet red sofa and clear crystal coffee table rested by a fireplace, the chimney decorated with marble. The bed itself had layers of blankets, the top a thick burgundy and the thinner blanket below it a soft white. Beside the bed lay a bedpost as a few frames of landscape artwork hung around the room.

_Where am I? _she wondered, lifting the covers. She was still in the same clothes as last night. Finding a grandfather clock hanging idly on the wall, her eyes scanned the time. _5:34_.

She gasped. _I have to open the bar soon!_ She tossed the covers aside and swung her legs over the bed, searching the ground for her shoes. However, feeling the searing pain welcome her once more, she fell back onto the bed.

She leaned her head upwards slightly when she heard the door creak open.

"Oh, I see you're awake," said a female voice, but it was a kind one, Tifa noticed. She tried to sit up to greet the stranger, but soon felt a soft hand pressed against her shoulder as the covers were placed on her once more.

"No need to move, you must feel awful. Here, drink this."

Tifa accepted the glass, finding the woman's voice soft and comforting. Taking a small sip, she almost immediately she felt her hangover subsiding as her eyes opened in shock.

"Wow, that's amazing!" she exclaimed as she finished the glass. She then shifted her gaze to the woman, instantly meeting brilliant green eyes.

"Yes, I've had my fair share of nursing hangovers," Aerith admitted with a kind smile, taking the glass from Tifa and placing it aside. A faint image of Zack came to mind as she smiled inwardly at the thought. "I know you're probably wondering what you're doing here. Don't worry, you're okay. My name is Aerith Gainsborough and you're in Shinra Mansion."

"Shinra Mansion?" repeated Tifa with a puzzled expression. _How did I get here? _she added mentally.

Aerith nodded affirmatively. "Your name is Tifa, right?"

The brunette nodded. "That's right, how do you know?"

"Cloud told me."

_Cloud? _wondered Tifa. _That name sounds familiar… _At the mention of the name, a flash of spiky blonde hair came to mind.

As Tifa tried to recollect the events of the night before, she frowned when she realized she couldn't piece anything together. Flashes of a man's face, numerous shot glasses, bright casino lights, poker chips and cards came to mind.

Seeing Tifa's expression change to worry, Aerith tilted her head thoughtfully. "Something wrong?"

Tifa glanced at her before staring down in her lap, fisting her hands in the bed sheets. "Well, normally I don't drink so much that I can't remember anything," she mumbled before glancing at Aerith. "Could you tell me what happened last night?"

Aerith smiled reassuringly at her. "Well, I personally wasn't there the whole time, but from what Cloud tells me, he said you were drinking heavily and gambling."

At the revelation, Tifa winced. "Did I…?"

Knowing what she was asking, Aerith shook her head. "No. You're here because you fell asleep at the poker table and I wanted to keep an eye on you and make sure you were all right." Seeing Tifa visibly relax, Aerith smiled. "I think Cloud was keeping an eye on you. He would never admit it, but he did say that when you would get distracted and want to wander off, he would bet higher so it would get your attention and you would stay."

"I see…" Tifa said. "Just so you know, Aerith, I don't normally drink so much. I own my own bar, I know how people get when they are very drunk." Tifa sighed at the sudden memory that she had just recalled. "My boyfriend of two years, Johnny, took me to the restaurant where we had our first date. I thought he was going to propose." She laughed sarcastically. "Let's just say I found out why the waitress kept bringing us complimentary wine."

Aerith shook her head. "I'm sorry. But you don't need to explain yourself, Tifa."

A smile formed on Tifa's lips. "I know, but I just didn't want to start off on the wrong foot. Thank you for taking care of me."

Aerith returned her smile with one of her own. "Don't worry about it. I normally tend to my flower garden in a Church or help Zack with the legal technicalities of his business. It's nice to have a change in your routine every now and then."

"Zack?" asked Tifa with a puzzled expression.

Aerith nodded, "Yes, Zack Fair. You'll meet him—"

Just then a voice called from the entrance of the house. "Yo, Aerith! Where are you?"

"—right now, actually." She smiled as Tifa played with strands of her long brunette hair, feeling embarrassed meeting under the present circumstances. "I'll be right back." Aerith stood from the bed, opening the door, leaving it open as she left the room.

As Tifa stared at her lap, she found herself able to understand most of what the others were talking about.

"Is she awake yet?"

The deep, cool voice sounded familiar to her.

"Yes, she just woke up." A pause. "Are you all right, Cloud?"

"He's just stressed from the latest project Sephiroth gave us."

"Oh? Now what does he want you two to do?"

"Nothing—"

"He wants us to get the rights to some project." Tifa heard the other man snicker. "And he called Cloud antisocial." Another pause. "What? Don't give me that look, Cloud!"

Tifa could hear Aerith's soft laughter.

"Where is she, Aerith?" It was the same cool, collected voice from earlier.

"I put her in the guest room."

"Which room is that?" it was the other voice again. Based on his voice and words alone, he seemed playful, lively and easy going. "You know we have twenty rooms in this huge-ass mansion that we don't even use."

Tifa assumed Aerith must have pointed because she soon heard footsteps approaching the door. She quickly covered herself in the covers, lying down and turning on her side, facing the opposite of the door.

"Are you awake?"

Hearing it was the man with the low voice, Tifa turned around, sitting up as she leaned against the bedpost. Her eyes instantly met with brilliant cerulean ones and familiar spiky blonde hair.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, moving the sofa near the side of the bed as he sat against it. His elbows rested on his arms as he hunched forward.

"Fine," Tifa answered, unsure of the direction where the conversation was heading. "Aerith took very good care of me."

"Good," he answered concisely. "Tifa." Cloud watched her turn to him. "That's your name, isn't it?"

She nodded. "Yes. And you're…?"

"Cloud."

Tifa nodded once more. "Okay." She extended her hand. "Nice to meet you, Cloud."

She watched him glance at her hand tentatively before moving his arm to meet her grasp.

_There it is again,_ thought Cloud. That sense of familiarity. It dawned on him when he took hold of her hand. It felt like déjà vu, but he couldn't for the life of him figure out from where.

Tifa glanced from his face to their connected hands. He was staring at it intently, his eyebrows furrowed and his expression serious. He hadn't let go of her hand yet.

She gave her hand a gentle tug, and it seemed that broke him out of his trance-like state when he flinched. He let go and she retrieved her hand, absentmindedly holding it with her other hand. He had a firm, tight grip.

She shifted her gaze from her hand to his face, inwardly startled when she found his gaze was already on her. _Such a handsome face… _she thought idly to herself. _But not a friendly one. _

"Tifa, do you have any memory from last night?"

The brunette woman blinked, averting her gaze from his as she stared in the corner of the room. She tucked an idle strand of hair behind her ear. "Vaguely, but not really…"

"Do you remember making a bet?"

Her eyes widened at the sudden memory that hit her.

* * *

><p>"<em>You know, most men often never have the opportunity to spend time with me," Tifa began. "Normally because I'm very… selective." When she saw Cloud eye her from her head to her toe, her smile widened. "Tell you what. If I lose my hand, you can have me."<em>

_The blonde businessman rose an eyebrow at her offer. "You're betting yourself?"_

_Tifa nodded, her smile confident. "That's right. All of me. You'd have me at your disposal."_

"_And in return?" _

"_For my stake, I want your Rolex watch and keys to your Lamborghini," she replied matter-of-factly._

* * *

><p>Tifa slapped her face, covering it with her hand. "Oh, god…" she grumbled. She removed her hand, looking at Cloud. "Let me guess. Did I bet myself?"<p>

When he nodded, she felt her heart drop to her stomach.

"I didn't win, did I?" she asked, watching him shake his head no.

_Ugh, I wish I could remember what hand I had! _she thought to herself. _I would never make a bet like that unless I had a sure win… _

"So," she began, following a short silence, "is that why you had Aerith take care of me?" When she removed the covers, Cloud noticed she was still wearing the same dress that left little to the imagination. "Lucky for you, Cloud, I was always taught to keep my word." She stood up from the bed, sauntering over to the chair Cloud was sitting in. She fixed herself on his lap, wounding her arms around his neck. She felt him tense beneath her. "Well, Cloud," she whispered in his ear, "how do you want me?"

Cloud placed his hand on her thigh, only to gently move it off of him. "This isn't what I had in mind," he murmured, though he'd be lying had he said it hadn't crossed his 23-year-old mind.

Feeling him shift away from her, Tifa stood up, taking a few steps back to the bed as she crossed her arms and legs. "What is it you had in mind, then?"

After a couple of moments of silence, Cloud stated flatly, "I need you to be my escort."

Tifa arched an eyebrow. "Your escort?"

The blonde nodded. "To accompany me to galas, dinners, parties…" his voice trailed off.

Tifa remained skeptical. "What about Aerith?"

"She's with Zack."

"Why not hire an escort from an escort service?"

"I don't have the patience for those sort of things."

"What makes me any different?"

Cloud shrugged. "You're convenient. And you owe me."

_Gee, that's what every girl wants to hear, _thought Tifa sarcastically before she began drumming her fingers against her arm. "I never put it in writing."

"True."

"So what if I say no?"

"You can." When he saw her open her mouth to speak once more, Cloud interrupted her. "I wasn't going to ask you this without offering something in return."

This peaked Tifa's curiosity as she lowered her arms to her sides. "Like what?"

Cloud raised the sleeve of his suit slightly, revealing his Rolex watch. "Last night you wanted my watch and keys to my Lamborghini. You can have them."

Tifa crossed her arms once more, shifting her weight on one leg as she arched an eyebrow. "You want to buy me off?"

Cloud shook his head. "Not buy you off. Compensate you." He watched her purse her lips as a silence fell between them. "If my offer isn't good enough, name what you want."

Tifa tilted her head thoughtfully before returning his stare. "My bar needs repairs."

"Done."

"…How long would you need me for?"

"Until the job gets done."

"What about my bar?" She continued when he gave her a questioning look. "I run a bar for my income. Someone has to service my customers."

Cloud shrugged. "I'll hire someone to take care of it when I need you."

Tifa nodded, then pursed her lips. "You don't know anything about me."

"You don't know anything about me, either. I plan to keep it that way." Cloud rose from his seat, shoving a hand in his pocket. "I don't have all day. I need to know if you will help me or not."

"One more thing," added Tifa. "Through the course of my helping you, if I need something, you will give it to me."

"If it's reasonable, then yes."

A smile curved her lips as Tifa stepped forward, extending her hand. "Deal."


	3. Charity Gala

**Author's Note:** Thank you very much reviewers for all the reviews so far! I'm glad you're having as much fun reading as I am writing. :) I also plan to update this story at least once a month. So keep an eye out for updates! :D Please leave feedback, I'd love to read what your thoughts are on the story's progress!

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing at all.

* * *

><p><strong>The Risks of Gambling<strong>

Summary: [AU] Tifa didn't know she had a gambling problem until she staked her freedom… and lost. [CloudTifa] [ZackAerith]

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3 – Charity Gala<strong>

It had barely been a week before Cloud contacted her.

Tifa had given him her phone number to call her when he needed her. Then, after giving a final thank you and goodbye to Aerith, Cloud walked her outside, where he approached the driver and told him to take her home, where Tifa currently found herself.

She was wiping down the counter with a damp towel when she heard the ring tone of her phone echoing down the hall. She walked over to it, taking the receiver off its hook as she placed the phone against her ear.

"Hello?"

"Tifa."

It took her a moment to recognize the low, cool voice. "Cloud, is that you?"

He grunted in response. "I need you tonight."

"What?"

"An event. There's one tonight. I need you to come with me."

_So soon? _thought Tifa. Knowing she had to fulfill her end of the bargain, she glanced at the hands of an analog clock that hung against the wall. _5:03_ _pm, _it read.

"At what time?" she asked.

"The event starts at eight. The car will be there to pick you up at seven thirty sharp."

"Okay, got it—"

"Tifa, I need you to do one more thing."

Hearing the shift of tone in his voice heightened Tifa's curiosity. She raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "What is it?"

"I need you wear something… revealing."

A smile spread across her lips, hearing his struggle to find the last word. "What?" she asked, trying to stifle her giggle and her teasing tone. She could practically feel his discomfort.

"I need you to wear something that will turn heads," he clarified, his voice resuming back to its cool tone.

"Like what?" she asked, her voice becoming a soft, breathy whisper. "A dress with a low cut in the front? Or the back? Or a cut that goes down to my stomach, with a high slit?" She tried to repress her laughter when she heard Cloud's breath hitch in his throat. "Don't worry, Cloud, I'll have what you asked."

"Tifa—"

"I know, I won't wear anything too revealing that it's trashy," she finished, glancing at the clock once more. "Now, is that all?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. I'll see you tonight then, Cloud."

With a simple _click_, Tifa placed the phone back on its hook as she walked towards her bedroom. She giggled at the mental picture of Cloud's discomfort from her words. _Too easy!_

* * *

><p>Cloud had just put the phone down when he heard the door open.<p>

"Did I hear that right?"

The blonde turned around to find Zack leaning against his doorway, his arms crossed against his chest and a wide, foolish grin spread across his face.

"Hear what right?" Cloud asked nonchalantly.

Zack chuckled as he stepped inside the room. "Did you just ask someone to go to the charity gala tonight? So you actually listened to Sephiroth's advice." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively once he approached his friend. "Who's the lucky lady Cloud? Or should I ask, what's her pimp's name?"

Cloud scowled at his friend. "She's not a hooker, Zack."

"Oh, right, the high class ones are called 'escorts.'" The raven-haired man laughed at Cloud's pointed expression. "Don't worry buddy, your secret's safe with me," he added, winking as he walked over and plopped himself down against the edge of Cloud's bed, ignoring his friend's deepening glare. "So, what's your hooker's name?"

"She's not a hooker."

"So who is it, then?"

Cloud deliberately ignored his question as a silence fell between them.

"Did you invite Yuffie? Your secretary? That one girl a couple floors down who's face always gets super red whenever you walk by?" As Cloud continued to ignore him, Zack's sapphire eyes widened. "Did you invite that girl from the casino last week?"

"Does it matter, Zack?" snapped Cloud, his tone clearly frustrated.

Ignoring his tone, Zack pressed on. "So you _did_ invite her. What was her name again?" He snapped his fingers a couple times. "Tiffy, Tufa, Tuna—"

"Tifa," the blonde corrected with furrowed eyebrows.

"Right, Tifa," said Zack. His face scrunched together slightly at the name. "Hm, that name… it seems familiar."

Cloud glanced at him. "Do you remember from where?"

Zack shrugged, shaking his head. "I have no idea. I just feel like I've heard it before."

"Me too," the blonde muttered under his breath. He looked at Zack, who was still sitting at the edge of his bed. "Don't you have something to do, Zack?"

Said male held a finger to his mouth. "Aerith wants to go shopping. I'm hiding from her."

Cloud shook his head, and as if on cue, Aerith's voice echoed throughout the home.

"Zack! Where are you?"

"Shit, she found me!" muttered Zack as he dashed out the room.

"Are you hiding again?" Aerith's voice called. "Zack, this isn't funny the fifth time!"

* * *

><p>The car gradually came to a stop in front of the bar Seventh Heaven.<p>

Hearing the brakes from inside, Tifa peered through the window drapes and glanced at the clock. _7:30, _she thought to herself. _Just like he said. _She placed her foot in her other heel before moving towards door, exiting the bar as she locked the door behind her.

When she turned around, she saw Cloud emerge from the back of the black Mercedes SL 500. The driver remained seated in the front as Cloud buttoned up his suit.

When he finally glanced towards Tifa, his cerulean eyes widened.

She was dressed in a sleeveless black dress. Her long brunette hair rested against her shoulders and cascaded down her back to her mid-torso. As she walked towards him with a smile, he noticed there was a slit in the side of her dress that cut all the way up to her mid thigh. The front of her dress had a heart-shaped neckline, revealing a small amount of cleavage.

"You look…" he began, but found himself at a loss for words as he took in the sight of her.

Tifa smiled at his oblique compliment. "Your tie's a little loose," she replied as she reached up and tightened it for him.

When she lowered her arms back to her sides, Cloud's gaze remained fixated on her for a few moments. Tifa blushed at his scrutinizing stare as his eyes traveled up and down her figure. Though she knew men constantly ogled her figure, she couldn't ignore the intensity Cloud held in his gaze, nor the fact that she found her heart racing from his stare alone.

After a few moments that seemed to freeze time, Cloud cleared his throat. "We should get going."

She nodded as Cloud opened the door for her. She smiled at his gesture as she bent down to step inside the vehicle. As she did so, Cloud noticed the back of her dress was open, revealing the smooth skin of her back down to the swell of her backside.

Cloud swallowed as he tried to regain his composure. He had pictured how she could look (considering the suggestions she had given him earlier), but nothing compared to the actual sight of her.

When she settled inside, he quickly followed suit, taking a seat a few inches away from her.

"Go," he commanded the chauffeur who nodded as the car began to drive.

"So, explain to me again what my purpose here is," Tifa said as she shifted her chocolate brown gaze to Cloud.

"I'm going to be meeting a man, Gast Faremis. I need you to stay by my side the whole time."

The brunette nodded. "Okay. Do we need a back story or am I just your pretty date?"

Cloud pointed his gaze out the window. "We don't need a back story."

Tifa nodded once more, turning to glance out the window as well.

The car soon arrived at the destination, a large white mansion with the inside glowing from the various chandeliers lit inside.

As the driver parked the car on the curb, he emerged from his seat and opened the door where hundreds of paparazzi were set, their cameras ready as flashes already began to go off.

Cloud squinted at the bright light, turning away as he offered his hand to Tifa. Using one hand to block the barrage of flashes, she moved her other hand and grasped Cloud's as he lead her out the car. Once standing, he offered his arm to her as she wound her arm through his. She removed her hand from blocking the lights and gave a dazzling smile to each camera.

"Cloud! Over here!"

"Cloud! Cloud!"

"Cloud! Who's that woman with you? Is she your girlfriend?"

Tifa glanced at the blonde who kept his gaze forward, ignoring each of the paparazzo's questions as he lead Tifa through the crowd.

_Who is he? _she pondered to herself, considering the large amount of attention he was receiving from the paparazzi.

Once inside, it took Tifa a few blinks to adjust her eyes to the new light. The room was incredibly wide as people filled it with the sound of their idle conversations. Waiters walked around with platters in their hand as a long row of neatly arranged food stood against the wall. A large, grand staircase wrapped around the whole room as large windows were covered with silk white drapes.

As Tifa walked with Cloud, several people said hello to Cloud but she noticed he would only nod in return or mutter a short, "Hello," back.

"Don't you want to stop for conversation?" she asked.

He shook his head. "They're just distractions from the task at hand."

Tifa frowned at the answer. "Is everything just a business transaction to you?"

Tifa saw him turn his head towards her, watching her for a moment before he opened his mouth to answer. Just as he was about to reply, he heard a voice call to him from the distance.

"Yo, Cloud! You made it!"

The blonde glanced at the direction, seeing Zack dressed in a sharp navy blue suit as Aerith followed close behind him, donning a dark green floor length dress that hugged her figure. The back straps were crossed over one another in an 'x' formation as the bottom of the dress fanned out against the floor.

"Zack, Aerith," Cloud greeted simply.

When the pair reached them, Zack turned towards Tifa. "And this lovely woman must be Tifa," he said as he grinned, extending a hand towards her. "Nice to meet you. Zack Fair, CEO of Shinra." His other free arm snaked around Aerith' waist as he brought her to him. "And I'm sure you remember this beautiful woman."

Tifa smiled, accepting his hand as she shook it. "Nice to meet you, Zack," she answered before turning to the woman at his side. "And yes, I remember you, Aerith. How are you?"

"Fine, thank you," Aerith replied with a kind smile.

_((SFX: ting ting ting))_

The murmurs of the crowd soon came to a stop upon hearing the sound of a spoon against glass. Everyone glanced up to a man standing in the middle of the long staircase.

"Hello, everyone. Thank you for coming out to my little gathering tonight," the man said. He seemed in his early forties with short brown hair and a thick mustache. He wore clear circular shaped glasses with a thin black trim that framed most of his face. "My name is Gast Faremis for those of you I have yet to meet. As most of you know, this charity drive was to benefit children who lost their parents to war or disease. Each and every donation was appreciated. We accumulated over $500,000." Thunderous applause followed his announcement as he smiled and nodded, raising his glass as he concluded, "In celebration to that outstanding feat, I hope you all enjoy the party."

As the crowd drank to the toast, Zack turned towards Cloud.

"There he is. How do you want to do this? Got any ideas?" he asked.

Cloud said nothing; instead he began walking towards Gast, bringing Tifa along.

"Should we follow him?" asked Aerith, watching Cloud's retreating back before turning to her boyfriend.

"Nah," Zack replied, taking her hand as he led her towards the courtyard. "I'm sure he's got a plan."

Once approaching Gast, Cloud cleared his throat to get the man's attention.

"Congratulations on the success of your charity, Mr. Faremis."

"Thank you, and call me Gast," he replied with a kind smile. He extended his arm, adding, "And you are?"

"Cloud Strife," the blonde answered simply, then turned his head towards Tifa. Said woman returned his glance with a smile.

Following Cloud's stare, Gast shifted his gaze towards Tifa as well. "And who may this beautiful young woman be?"

"Thank you, that's very sweet," answered Tifa with a gracious smile. She extended her hand. "My name is Tifa. It's very nice to meet you, Mr. Faremis."

Tifa felt Gast studying her features, his brows furrowing together as though he was straining his mind to remember something. She shifted slightly under his gaze, feeling discomfort blossom within her. She also noticed Cloud's grip on her arm tighten.

"Have we met before?" asked Gast as he accepted her hand, shaking it.

"Not that I know of," replied Tifa with an uneasy smile. "Many people tell me I do have a familiar face, though."

"That sounds about right," said Gast with a nod, releasing her hand as he smiled at the pair. "I take it you two are enjoying yourselves so far?"

Cloud simply nodded.

Tifa glanced at her date, pondering mentally whether or not he was going to say anything more. As she noticed an uncomfortable silence take place, she piped in, "Your house is beautiful, Mr. Faremis."

Gast looked at her with another kind smile. "Thank you, Tifa. My wife helped decorate it."

"She did a beautiful job," the brunette added as she glanced around her surroundings. "Where is Mrs. Faremis—?" she asked before she felt Cloud squeeze her arm gently.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Cloud interrupted, muttering the words.

Tifa gasped, a hand covering her mouth. "Oh, I'm so sorry—"

Gast shook his head, waving it off with his hand. "It's all right, Tifa. Ifalna had been sick for a long time. She's in a better place now." A pained smile spread across his aged features, which Tifa assumed was from the stress of worrying about his wife.

Despite his comment, Tifa pointed her stare to the floor, feeling embarrassed for provoking the sullen memory.

Knowing she was feeling distressed based on her body language, Gast added, "Don't feel embarrassed, Tifa. You actually remind me a lot of her. It reminds me that she's still with me."

She lifted her head briefly, flashing him a quick smile.

"Gast!"

Said man glanced over his shoulder, finding a colleague of his waving him over.

"Thank you Cloud, Tifa, for the lovely chat," he said. "Excuse me for a moment."

And with that, he turned on his heel and walked towards his friend.

Tifa tugged her arm from Cloud's grip, covering her face with her hands, feeling mortified. "I'm sorry, Cloud," she mumbled into her palms. "I think I just ruined your chances for meeting with him again."

Cloud watched her carefully, arching a brow at the distress she felt over the situation. "Don't worry," he assured her, taking her arm and winding it through his own again as he lead her towards the front door. "You didn't do as much damage as you think."

Tifa sighed, glancing at him with a pout. "How do you know?"

As if on cue, they heard behind them, "Cloud! Tifa!"

The pair turned around, seeing Gast giving his friend a quick goodbye before he approached them.

"Are you two leaving?" he asked.

"Yes," answered Cloud concisely.

Gast nodded. "I see. I hope you two enjoyed the party."

"We did," Tifa said quickly, almost scrambling the words. In her haste, Cloud noticed her unconsciously press further against his side.

The brunette man smiled. "I'm glad. Listen, I would love it if you two would come to more events of mine."

"Really?" Tifa blurted out, ignoring the pointed gaze Cloud shot at her.

Gast chuckled at her reaction. "Yes. Believe it or not, I actually enjoy your company. I would like to get to know you two better." He smiled at Tifa who blushed, embarrassed. He then saw another colleague, excused himself, then began to walk towards them. After taking a few steps away, he turned back towards Cloud and Tifa, waving goodbye towards the pair as he added, "Take care! I hope to see you two again soon!"

Cloud nodded as Tifa watched his retreating back, stunned. She turned her brown eyes from his back to Cloud, meeting his deep cerulean blue gaze.

"I told you," he said flatly. He then pulled her along as they began to leave the party.

"That's it?" asked Tifa, her voice holding a hint of skepticism.

Cloud nodded. "For now."

The driver pulled the car up, stepping out of the vehicle as he opened the door for the couple. Tifa stepped inside first, followed by Cloud soon after.

As the car began to pull back into the streets, Tifa ran a hand through her long brunette hair, lolling her head against the seat as she looked at Cloud.

"Did I do all right?" she asked.

Cloud glimpsed at her briefly before turning his stare out the window.

"Exactly what I needed you to do."


	4. Moving

**Author's Note:** As promised (and I try my best to keep my promises) an update every month. I hope you like it! Feedback is always appreciated!

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing at all.

* * *

><p><strong>The Risks of Gambling<strong>

Summary: [AU] Tifa didn't know she had a gambling problem until she staked her freedom… and lost. [CloudTifa] [ZackAerith]

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4 – Moving<strong>

"Nice work, Cloud."

Sephiroth placed down the newspaper, sliding it along the long rectangular mahogany table before it lied before Zack and Cloud. The two men glimpsed at the paper when it reached them.

The three sat in a spacious meeting room, filled with a large monitor hung against the wall, a large rectangular desk and chairs surrounding the desk. Sephiroth sat at the head of the table as Zack and Cloud sat across him at the other end.

Cloud had begun bringing Tifa along with him wherever he went, whether it be a gala, dinner, art exhibit or other social gathering. At each event, Tifa's beauty and charm immediately drew attention as local papers instantly found themselves with a popular subject, particularly for her showing up with the ever-so-quiet Cloud each and every time.

"You're doing well, Cloud," said Sephiroth. "Finally you're attracting positive attention instead of the negative."

Cloud remained silent, maintaining the scowl fixed on his face as he stared at the silver-haired man.

"Tell me, Cloud," added his boss, "is this woman actually your girlfriend or is she just a pretty date for pay?"

Cold silence was his answer. Sephiroth chuckled at the lack of response.

"Smart man," he commented. "The answer is irrelevant. The point is, the media is going to get bored of her simply being with you, Cloud. And when that happens, they will move on to the next best thing." He laced his fingers together, leaning back against his chair as a small _creak_ was heard. "You need to keep their interest."

"How do you propose he do that, Sephiroth?" asked Zack with a scoff.

Cloud pointed his gaze towards the floor.

Seeing this, Sephiroth smirked. "I think Cloud knows just what to do."

The blonde looked at his boss. "Is that all?" he asked, his voice showing a hint of irritation.

Sephiroth nodded, and the two men immediately stood up and took their leave.

"As if the meetings aren't long enough," Zack muttered once the two left had left the room. He glanced at his friend. "Why do you always do that, Cloud?"

"Do what?"

"Bend over and do whatever Sephiroth tells you."

Cloud gave the raven-haired male a flat look. "He's our boss, Zack."

Said man scoffed, folding his arms behind his head. "Yeah, yeah… listen, I'm going to take my lunch break now. I need to get Sephiroth out of my system. You coming?"

Cloud shook his head at the offer. "Not today. I need to make a call."

Zack nodded, pressing the down button once he reached the elevator. "Alright, I'll see you later then."

Cloud nodded in return before entering his office. He walked over to his desk, taking a seat as he picked up the phone that rested idly against the corner of his desk. He dialed a few numbers before holding the phone to his ear as he listened to it ring.

"Hello?" the voice answered.

"Tifa," he greeted simply. "We need to talk."

* * *

><p>"You want me to move in with you?"<p>

Tifa's tone was full of skepticism as she paced around Cloud's living room, her fingers drumming against her hip. Cloud stood as his gaze followed her, watching her pace back and forth in circles.

He nodded. "It would only be until job gets done, which should only take a couple weeks based on the progress we're making."

"You're asking me to drop everything I'm doing just to help you," Tifa instantly replied, stopping in her steps as she turned towards him. She crossed her arms across her chest and frowned at him. "I have a business to run, Cloud."

"I'll take care of it," he replied matter-of-factly.

"But it's only been a few weeks! Isn't this too soon?"

Cloud shook his head. Imitating her stance, he folded his arms across his chest as well.

She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I need to sit down," she mumbled to herself as she plopped herself against a soft love seat. She rested her elbows on her knees as she looked from the floor to Cloud. "Don't you think this is a little much?"

"You will be compensated," he replied back.

Her eyebrows knitted together at the answer. "You can't always buy your way out of things, Cloud."

"It's only for a few weeks," he retorted. "Everything with your business will be taken care of during the time." He shrugged. "Think of it as a mini vacation."

_A vacation… across town? _Tifa thought to herself as she contemplated his reasoning.

Seeing her expression, Cloud added, "I wouldn't be asking you this if it wasn't necessary, Tifa."

The tone of his voice made her look at him. His expression was calm as usual, but his tone held a sense of… need, though only a hint, not that he would ever admit it.

She stood up, walking around the room, looking at each wall from the ceiling to the floor. Her hands were laced together behind her back as she did so, and Cloud noticed she seemed like someone who was walking through a museum, studying each feature inside.

Tifa peeked her head outside the room, glancing around. Cold, white marble met her gaze at every turn, and everything was kept in pristine condition. Nothing was dusty, the floor was spotless, and there was always food in the fridge. She looked at Cloud's clothing. It seemed the laundry was done adamantly, as well.

Her eyes were squinted slightly when she met Cloud's cerulean stare.

"Who does the cleaning?"

"A housekeeper comes in once a day. She's quick and efficient."

"Cooking?"

"Food is always made ready to eat in the fridge."

"Laundry?"

"The housekeeper takes care of that too."

Tifa lifted a finger, tapping her chin thoughtfully. It _was _a large house, with a size anyone would be content with, and she was already comfortable with Zack and Aerith. Other people kept up the maintenance of the house, so she wouldn't have to lift a finger. Not to mention, the furniture was _very _comfortable, a little fact she had found out when she awoke the morning after her drunken episode with Aerith by her side.

Cloud was watching her expression carefully, feeling as though a weight was lifted off his shoulders when her mouth finally spread in a smile.

"Fine."

* * *

><p>The clock had just struck midnight.<p>

It had taken a few hours for Tifa to gather and settle her things in a room Aerith had picked out for her. It was down the hallway from Cloud's and right beside Aerith' room in case she needed anything.

Aerith had been kind enough to give her a grand tour of the house, which was much larger than Tifa had imagined. The mansion had a plethora of rooms, which Aerith explained were often empty because Zack and Cloud had nothing to fill them with, having only what they needed and few luxuries.

At the back of the house was a large garden. A sweet floral scent instantly filled the area as flowers of all kinds and colors were scattered around the area. A fountain rested in the middle as clear water poured out. A small pond rested in the corner where fish swam around freely. The sight was extremely calming as birds tweeted in the air and the water streamed into the pond.

As Tifa sat in the spacious living room by the kitchen, she was suddenly brought out of her thoughts when she heard movement behind her. She glanced over her shoulder, only making out a figure walking into the kitchen because it was too dark to see who it was.

When the refrigerator door opened, the light illuminated the room, letting Tifa see it was Cloud who was bent over and digging through the contents. She blushed as the light shone off the smooth bare skin of his back, revealing he wasn't wearing a shirt. When the door closed, she quickly turned around, feeling foolish because she was sure he knew she was there.

As if on cue, he asked, "Why are you still awake?"

She turned around, looking at his masked figure as she smiled, though she doubted he could see it. "I can't sleep," she admitted sheepishly, turning back around as she glanced in her hands where she had been holding a glass of water. She took a small sip before she felt the weight in the sofa shift. She glanced to her left to find Cloud had taken a seat at the edge of the couch.

"Is something wrong?"

Tifa blinked at the question. It didn't seem like one he would ask often. Nevertheless, she flashed him a quick smile again. "No, nothing's wrong. I just haven't gotten used to this place yet."

Cloud nodded, leaning back against the cushion as he closed his eyes momentarily.

"What about you?"

He opened his eyes, turning his head to look at her. "What about me?"

"Why are you still awake?"

The blonde remained nonchalant. "I was hungry. I got up for a snack."

Tifa glanced at Cloud's hands that rested motionlessly against his lap. She blushed at the sight of his toned torso, having been able to see it through the glow of the moonlight streaming through the curtains, bathing the room in a heavenly glow. She couldn't help but admit his chiseled physique was a pleasant surprise, but awfully distracting from the conversation.

She cleared her throat to clear her thoughts, shaking her head slightly. "But you aren't holding anything," she said plainly.

He shrugged. "Couldn't find anything."

"Oh," Tifa simply replied. She saw Cloud lean his head back once more, his eyes coming to a close. Her brown eyes couldn't help but travel over his upper body, from the muscle tone in his arms to the tight abs clearly defined on his stomach.

Cloud popped open one eye, noticing Tifa's stare on him. It had taken her a moment to realize he had been looking at her, causing her to blush profusely when her gaze met his as she ducked her head away.

"It gets hot during the night," he told her. Tifa knew he was indirectly explaining to her why was he was shirtless, causing her to blush to deeper shades of red. "Does it bother you?"

She shook her head. "N-No," she answered, inwardly cursing at herself for stuttering as she fidgeted her fingers. She felt ridiculous, behaving like a silly schoolgirl. She shook her head roughly side to side, taking a quiet breath to calm her racing heartbeat.

"You should drink warm milk."

Tifa tilted her head, a puzzled look on her face. "What?"

Cloud shifted his gaze towards her. "To help you sleep," he drawled. "Warm milk helps you sleep. My mother told me that."

"Oh," she answered, placing her glass of water on a coaster resting on the table counter in front of her. She shifted her position so her side was leaning against the couch as she looked at him. "What is she like?" she asked, partially wondering if he was going to answer such a personal question.

He looked away, looking ahead of him, his stare becoming distant. "I don't remember."

Tifa glanced down, mentally scolding herself. _Why do I keep saying the wrong things? _she thought, suddenly wishing she were holding her glass of water again as her throat became parched.

"I don't remember a lot about my parents," he admitted, breaking the small silence that had befallen them. "They passed away in a car accident when I was young."

"I'm sorry," she said, her voice empathic. "I can't imagine…"

Cloud shrugged. He didn't like the tone of her voice. He didn't want to be pitied.

"Is that why…?" Tifa began, before looking away, deliberately ending her sentence prematurely.

Cloud glanced at her, her question drawing his curiosity. "Why what?"

"No, it's nothing," she replied, nervously tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she avoided his gaze.

"Tifa." His voice practically commanded her to look at him. "Tell me."

"Well, it's just…" she began, fidgeting timidly. "You're very quiet."

"And?"

Tifa began playing with idle strands of her hair as discomfort settled within her stomach from her line of statements. "Well, you're _too _quiet. Unusually quiet."

Cerulean eyes blinked as silence fell between them for a moment. "I prefer it that way."

Tifa fidgeted once more. "Because of what happened to your parents?"

Cloud arched a brow at her question. "What do you mean?"

She bit her lip, suddenly wishing she had never brought up the subject.

_Well, there's no turning back now, _she reasoned with herself, noting Cloud's fixed stare on her.

As she began to explain, Tifa absentmindedly twiddled her thumbs. "It's just, you're very private. Is it because you don't want to get close to someone because you're scared of losing them?"

She noticed Cloud hold his stare on her for several moments, the intensity in his stare seeming to build with each passing second. She shifted uncomfortably under his sharp gaze.

Finally, he said, "No one's told me that before."

Her ears perked at the statement. "Am I right?"

"No."

Her shoulders slumped. Well, now she just felt silly. "What is it then?"

"What is what?"

"What makes you so private? Why don't you let anyone in?"

_There it is, _thought Tifa. That stare again. Except this time his eyes were squinted somewhat, as though he were contemplating whether or not to tell her.

She held her ground, not moving her eyes from his for a second. Though she'd be lying if she said that her stomach wasn't twisting in several knots from his stare.

"It's easier not to trust anyone," he told her.

"You're telling me you don't trust Zack or Aerith?"

The blonde shook his head. "They're different."

Tifa tilted her head thoughtfully. "What made you not trust anyone, Cloud?"

He glanced at her, then focused his gaze to the darkness in front of him. "Money… changes people," he answered her quietly. "People will do anything for it, and the more they get, the more their greed grows. They won't stop until they have every last penny."

While he was telling her this, his expression became remote once more, as though he were recalling a memory. Her eyes softened.

"Did someone betray you?" Tifa asked.

"Not someone, many people." He could feel her sympathetic stare on him as he kept his gaze firmly fixed to anything in front of him. "I don't need you feeling sorry for me. It's in the past, there's nothing that can be done."

She frowned at his comment. "I don't feel sorry for you," she replied, but she knew he was uncomfortable since he refused to meet her eyes. "Cloud, look at me."

He reluctantly did so, only to find her eyes boring into his. "What?" he asked, not liking the look she was giving him.

"Cloud…" she began softly.

A stilling pause filled the air.

"…Why are your eyes such a bright blue?"

The blonde lifted a brow. She took a ridiculously long pause, which made him fairly uneasy, for a question like _that_?

"My eyes?" he asked, watching Tifa nod in return as he blinked. Her eyes were shifting left and right as she looked at each one. "My company tests on genetic enhancements. I had poor eyesight, so they injected me with a regimen to help my eyesight."

"Did it work?"

He nodded. "It also gave me the ability to see at night as though it were as clear as day."

After he mentioned this, he noticed Tifa instantly shift and move one of the sofa pillows in front of her. He was inwardly slightly amused at her action, having already noticed that she was only wearing a thin, light blue silk nightgown.

"They're so pretty," she whispered, and Cloud arched a brow. "They have a sort of glow in the dark. It's really pretty." She flashed a smile at him. "Can I get a better look?"

He didn't answer, so she took it as a yes. She slowly inched herself closer to him, moving more tentatively when she would notice him tense. Once at a close enough proximity, she leaned forward slightly, seeing his eyes flash down before returning to her gaze.

After a couple moments, she gave him a dazzling smile. "They have tints of gold in them. How pretty."

He said nothing for a couple moments. Then, "Are you done?"

She leaned back and beamed at him. "Yep. Thank you."

He didn't answer; instead he leaned his head back against the cushion and closed his eyes once more. He wasn't going to tell her that while she had been studying his eyes, he had been looking at hers too, noting how thick her eyelashes were and how her brown eyes had hidden green specks in them, too.

"Cloud?"

Her voice drew him out of his thoughts. "What?"

"Can I ask you one more thing?"

He eyed her for a moment, then nodded.

"How did you meet Zack and Aerith?"

"They're both long stories."

"How long?"

"Too long."

She pouted. "Please, Cloud?"

He frowned. "Will it help you sleep?"

She nodded eagerly. "After this, I will go to sleep. Promise."

He sighed quietly, then relented. "Fine. I met Zack ten years ago, when I was thirteen. He was taking junk people had thrown out and fixing them up, then reselling them for a higher price. I noticed behind him he had spare parts for a motorcycle. I asked him if he knew how to make one, he said no, but I did. Then—"

He stopped when he felt something press against his shoulder. He looked down, finding Tifa resting soundly against him as she took even breaths.

Cloud blinked a few times. He hadn't noticed that when she had moved closer to him to look at his eyes, she hadn't moved away, and instead ended up still being in close proximity enough to doze off against him.

He slowly began to move, shifting to find a way to get out from beneath her, but instead it only made her nestle herself further against him by laying her head on his chest.

He immediately stiffened. He wasn't used to someone being so close to him, let alone touching him. But he couldn't help but notice how soft she felt against his bare skin.

Cloud inwardly sighed. He decided it would be too much of a hassle to move and carry her to bed. It would probably only wake her up anyway, considering he had spent enough effort to try and get her to fall asleep. He decided, for the sake of keeping her asleep, he would let her rest on him.

That, and she smelled really nice, too.


	5. Misunderstandings

**Author's Note: **I seriously love every single one of my reviewers. Thank you for each of your kind words, I am so flattered to receive them! I love reading that you guys are interested in the story and want to see what will happen next. Your wish is my command my friends! :)

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing at all.

_Warning: Chapter contains slight mature content_

* * *

><p><strong>The Risks of Gambling<strong>

Summary: [AU] Tifa didn't know she had a gambling problem until she staked her freedom… and lost. [CloudTifa] [ZackAerith]

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5 – Misunderstandings<strong>

_A little boy with large, blue eyes glanced around him._

_A young Cloud found himself in the middle of a clear, open field. Long blades of grass sprout from the floor, tickling his bare ankles as thick trees bordered around him. He noticed a flash of brown from the corner of his eye, directing his attention towards the area. _

_His eyes flickered over to his right, seeing another little girl that looked around his age. She had long brunette hair tied high in a ponytail as she knelt against the ground on her knees, her small hands digging in the soil. She wore a light yellow dress fringed with ruffles with silk fabric and expert sewing; however, grass and dirt stains marred the yellow dress. _

_Curiosity peaked his interest. Cloud walked towards her quietly, noting that she didn't seem to notice his approaching her. He stood behind her for a couple moments, wondering if his looming shadow over her would draw her attention. Still, nothing. Tentatively, he raised an arm and tapped her on the shoulder._

_The girl didn't react, so Cloud tapped her lightly once more. He noticed her stop her digging as she fell back onto the heels of feet. _

_Her long brunette hair whipped around her as she turned to face him—_

* * *

><p>"Cloud. Cloud! Wake up."<p>

The blonde jumped at the sound of his name being called. His drowsiness instantly hit him like a ton of bricks, and as his senses began to awaken, he felt a heavy weight against him. He shifted his blurred vision upwards, only to see Zack leering down at him.

"Morning, sleepy head," his friend teased. "In case you've forgotten, we have a job to go to."

Cloud glanced at the weight on his body, only to find it was Tifa nestled comfortably against him. When he looked back at Zack, he didn't miss his friend's widening grin and wink.

"Zack…" Cloud began, glowering.

Zack chuckled. "I'm too tired to tease you anyway. You're lucky it's the crack of dawn right now."

Cloud said nothing, instead he accepted the pillow Zack retrieved for him and gently proceeded to move off of Tifa. He put the pillow in his place when he slipped away from her, watching her adjust to the small size of the pillow as she sighed softly.

He noticed her body shiver from lack of body heat. He took a thin blanket that Zack had handed him and placed it lightly over her.

"Get dressed quick or we'll be late," Zack informed his business partner. "But do it quietly, Aerith is still sleeping."

Cloud nodded, and within a few minutes, both men left for work.

* * *

><p>Chocolate brown eyes slowly, groggily opened.<p>

As her vision quickly settled, she noticed the different setting around her as she sat upright. She ran a hand through her long brown tresses as her half-lidded eyes looked around her surroundings.

…_Where am I? _she wondered before a voice drew her out of her thoughts.

"Oh, Tifa, I didn't see you there."

Tifa turned around only to find Aerith walking into the kitchen, giving her a warm smile.

"Good morning. Did you have a nice sleep? Would you like some coffee?"

Hearing Aerith's words, the warm scent of the coffee beans flooded Tifa's nose.

"Good morning, Aerith. I slept fine, thanks." A small blush tinted her cheeks as she could faintly smell Cloud's scent on her.

"I'm glad," answered Aerith as she handed Tifa a mug of coffee who accepted it with a smile. "The boys went to work so it's just you and I. I was going to go to my church and tend to my flowers. Would you like to come?"

Taking a sip of her coffee, Tifa smiled at the invitation. "I would love to."

* * *

><p><em>((SFX: knock knock))<em>

Cloud glanced to his door, watching it open as Zack entered his office. "Zack," he greeted simply before resuming his work, picking up an idle sheet of paper. The raven-haired man took a seat in one of the chairs in front of Cloud's desk. The action caused the blonde to glance at his friend. "Do you need something?"

Zack studied him for a moment. "You know, I was sitting in my office, and it just occurred to me. Why did you have Tifa move in with us? There are other ways to keep the media's attention and you know that."

Cloud ignored the question. "Don't you have work to do?"

Zack waved off the subject with a flick of his wrist. "Not important." He ignored Cloud's pointed expression. "Explain to me, Cloud. Why did you have her move in? What's your plan?"

Cloud focused his attention back to his work. "If she moved in, the papers would think we're taking the relationship to the next level. It would look like I'm settling down, becoming more responsible. That would help convince Gast we're the right people to give the rights of the Jenova project to."

Zack nodded, propping an arm on his knee as he rested his chin against his closed fist. "Okay, but what's the real reason?"

"That is the real reason."

"Cloud, you forget who you're talking to."

Said male placed his elbows on his desk, lacing his fingers in front of his mouth. A silence settled in the room for a few moments before Cloud spoke again.

"…I had a dream this morning."

A wide, wolfish grin spread across Zack's features. "With her in it? You dog you! Don't spare any details—"

Cloud scowled at his best friend. "It wasn't about her."

"Yeah? Then what was it about then?"

"I don't know. Something from when I was a kid."

"And you think having her around will help you explain it?" Zack was met with silence, but he knew Cloud's silence was an unspoken yes. The raven-haired male leaned back in his seat, folding his arms behind his head. "I'm not sure if I'm following what you're going for, Cloud, but I'm sure it will explain itself in time." He stood up and made his way towards the door. When he reached the doorframe, he turned over his shoulder and grinned widely. "Just give me a heads up if I'm going to be finding you two sleeping together more often—"

He ducked when Cloud threw a stapler at him and took his leave, his laughter echoing down the hallway.

* * *

><p>The pair soon arrived to Aerith's church as Tifa took in the sight of the large building.<p>

The church was much taller than she had pictured it to be, and inside the space seemed endless. There were rows of seating aisles and on the windows were large stain glass figurines.

In the back of the church, there was a large flowerbed where sunrays streamed from the open ceiling. The light illuminated the plants and gave them a brilliant green glow. Tifa helped Aerith bring water pales to the flowers as the two began to water the growing plants.

"Your flowers are beautiful," Tifa commented, glancing around in awe.

"Thank you," Aerith replied with a breathtaking smile adorning her features. "Zack and Cloud don't understand why I spend so much time taking care of them, but they're soothing and they remind me of how simple life can be."

Tifa smiled. "I see. How long have you known them?"

Aerith straightened herself from bending over to water the plants. She looked up towards the sky and tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Well, if I'm twenty-four now… I met Zack when I was eighteen, and met Cloud shortly after. So it's been six years now." Aerith set the water pale aside as she knelt against the floor and dug a small trench around her flowers. "Actually, it was Zack who told me I should sell my flowers," she admitted with a smile. "So I tried it and it actually became successful. Now it's my job to tend my flowers so they're ready to get sent out to whoever orders them, and the people who order them usually tend to be people Zack finds."

Tifa nodded at the information, pausing for a moment before asking, "And Cloud? Has he always been so quiet?"

Aerith nodded. "As far as I can remember. It took him a while before he could speak openly to me like he does now."

"Really? How long did it take?"

"A couple weeks, or was it a couple months?" she shrugged and dismissed the thought with a wave of her hand. "I'm sorry, I can't remember exactly. It's been so long."

"Right, of course," answered Tifa.

A silence fell between the girls as the two continued their work wordlessly.

"He looks at you when you're not looking, you know."

Tifa's ears perked at the words as she glanced at Aerith, her expression perplexed. "What?"

"Cloud. He looks at you a lot, I've seen him." Aerith smiled upon seeing Tifa blush and duck her head. "He thinks he's doing a good job at hiding it, but he's not. I know him well enough to tell. I think it's sweet." Aerith leaned back and wiped the dirt from her hands. "That's all," she finished with a tender smile.

Tifa twirled a strand of her hair around her finger, feeling her heartbeat suddenly quicken ever so slightly in pace. From the corner of her eye she could see Aerith's gaze noticing her obviously flustered reaction as her smile seemed to grow wider.

"…Hey, Aerith—"

_((SFX: Ring! Ring! Ring—!))_

Both girls glanced towards the source of the sound. It was Aerith's phone ringing from within her bag.

"Sorry Tifa, one second," Aerith said as she went and retrieved the device. Putting it to her ear, she answered, "Hello?"

Tifa continued watering the flowers, looking at Aerith every now and then as she watched her nod her head several times.

"Okay, I'll see you then," Aerith said before she said goodbye and hung up the phone.

"Who was it?" asked Tifa.

Aerith glanced at the brunette, smiling at her. "It was Zack. You and I have an event to go to tonight."

* * *

><p>The gala was alive and well under way by the time Tifa arrived with Cloud. Lively chatter filled the room as everyone wore elegant evening wear. Several tables were set with the finest china and silverware. The tables were draped in silk white tablecloths with a bouquet of flowers in a vase with small candles encircling it in the middle. Chandeliers gleamed brilliantly in the ceiling.<p>

Wearing a light lavender dress with thin straps, Tifa laughed and chatted with a few women at the party, her face lighting up with each laugh she emitted.

Cloud found his gaze gravitating towards her absentmindedly, despite the fact that colleagues of his were trying to engage the quiet man in conversation concerning business.

"…So what are your thoughts, Cloud?"

The blonde glanced at the small circle of men dressed in sharp black suits around him. "Thoughts on what?"

The man beside him raised an eyebrow. "On the business merger. As Chief Financial Officer, tell us, is it what's best for the company?"

Another man piped in, "There are many factors to consider, Stan. For example, the merging company's net income—"

The men's voices seem to blur in Cloud's hearing as he found himself lost in his thoughts.

Meanwhile, Tifa laughed from behind her hand at one of the comments the women had made. Then she heard her name called from behind her.

"Tifa."

She turned around, her waist-length hair whipping around her before settling against her back by her hips. She smiled when she recognized the familiar face. "Gast, hello! How are you?"

"Fine, thank you," he answered, giving her a kind smile. "I take it you are enjoying yourself this evening?"

"Yes, you have such entertaining friends!" Tifa replied, looking over her shoulder as she smiled towards the group of women she had been chatting with. "Everyone is so friendly."

"I'm glad to hear that," he said. "Well, I don't mean to pull you away from your conversation, but I have a couple of pieces of art I would like to show you. Would you like to see them?"

She smiled at the offer. "Sure, I would love to."

Gast led Tifa towards the room adjacent to the room full of guests. Inside, it was adorned with several paintings hung against the wall. Busts and other sculptures stood against pillars beside the paintings, some in glass casings and others not.

"Wow, these pieces are beautiful," said Tifa as she walked across the room, carefully studying each artwork as she passed by them.

"I thought you might appreciate it," said Gast as he looked at the art pieces as well. He motioned towards one of the paintings featuring an ocean colored in a sea of shades with black silhouettes of people framing the shore beneath a hazy, sunset sky. "This piece my wife saw in an auction. The instant she saw it she fell in love with it."

Tifa saw his face crinkle as he smiled softly at the pleasant memory. "She had wonderful taste."

Gast chuckled briefly. "Yes, everyone seemed to think so. Ifalna came from a more humble background, so she was more appreciative of the simple things than most of my colleagues combined. She had a refreshing take on life." He looked away from the painting and pointed his glance towards Tifa. "You remind me very much of her, Tifa. Did you come from a similar background as well?"

Just before Tifa could answer him, she saw his gaze move over her shoulder.

"Bert, it's been a long time my friend!" Gast called as Bert returned the friendly smile and walked over towards him. "My apologies, Tifa, would it be all right if we continued this conversation another time? I haven't seen this old friend in a couple years."

Tifa nodded in understanding. "Of course."

"Great, enjoy the rest of the evening!" he said before turning away and looking towards his old friend. "Bert, where have you been?"

Tifa turned around, finding her way out of the room as she made her way back to the party. She glanced around the sea of people, searching for a familiar face, particularly a pair of blue eyes and spiky blonde hair.

She turned and took a step to check the other side of the room only to find herself bumping into another warm body.

"Oh, I'm sorry—" she began as she looked at whom she ran in to.

She found herself meeting a pair of charcoal black eyes with hints of silver by the pupils coupled with pale skin and messy black hair.

"That's quite all right," said the man as he smiled at her. "It's not every day I almost knock a beautiful woman off her feet."

Tifa laughed. "Well, to be fair, I saw you stumble a little too."

He chuckled and shrugged. "True. You got me." He smiled and extended his hand. "My name is Dr. Yusuke Takahashi. And you are?"

She placed her hand in his and shook it. "Tifa. Nice to meet you."

"The pleasure's all mine, Tifa," he said as he lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it softly.

* * *

><p>"…So I was telling Warner that he needs to invest in more risky stock. He was questioning my judgment, but I told him investing in various stocks, some with low risk and some with high, would benefit his stock portfolio. Isn't that right, Cloud?"<p>

A portly, older man was talking amongst the small crowd Cloud currently found himself in. Hands fisted in his pockets, he nodded briefly to answer the man's question before he noticed a flash of lavender from his peripheral vision.

As the men continued their drone conversation, oblivious to Cloud's roaming gaze, Cloud noticed Tifa with a man with dark hair. His eyes squinted slightly.

A moment later, he turned away, listening back to the conversation of the men ("…the opposing company is asking that we raise the dividend we're currently paying…") only to find his stare drawn back to Tifa mere minutes later.

He saw her laugh from behind her hand at whatever the man was telling her, pushing her long, silky hair over her shoulder. She seemed unaware of the fact that her action caused one of her thin straps to slip off her shoulder. Cloud frowned. He knew the man's eyes immediately flew to the area of exposed smooth flesh.

He knew this because his eyes did the same.

* * *

><p>"So, Tifa, do you come to these events often?"<p>

Tifa tucked a hair behind her ear. "I have been lately, though I never came much before."

"I see. I'm surprised such a beautiful woman comes to these types of events alone." Yusuke's eyes seemed to glint at the remark.

"Oh, I'm not here alone," she replied nonchalantly, noting how Yusuke's face seemed to drop instantly at the revelation. Tifa glanced around the room, wondering herself where her date was, since she noticed he would always be somewhere around her, even when Cloud would leave to talk to Gast alone.

Her eyes met with a sharp pair of cerulean eyes looking at her, and Tifa felt her heart skip a little when her stare met his. Cloud looked away almost instantly when she looked at him and Tifa looked away as well, not paying attention what Yusuke was telling her as she recalled what Aerith had told her earlier.

"_He looks at you when you're not looking, you know._ _He thinks he's doing a good job at hiding it, but he's not. I know him well enough to tell."_

…_How come I never noticed this before?_ she wondered silently to herself before she was drawn out of her thoughts when Yusuke called her.

"Tifa?"

The brunette shook her head to clear her thoughts. "I'm sorry, Yusuke, what did you say?"

"I said I'm surprised he could leave a woman as beautiful as you alone."

She laughed at the compliment. "Oh, thank you, you're very sweet."

In the back of her mind, she couldn't fight the nagging desire to find out if what Aerith had told her was true. As Yusuke began talking to her again, she nodded and smiled at the appropriate times, then snuck a glance at Cloud as her chocolate brown eyes quickly flickered over to him.

She felt her heart skip a beat once more when her gaze met his again. She held it for a second before whisking her head away. She couldn't fight the light tint of blush that spread across her cheeks.

Just then Tifa heard Yusuke clear his throat. "Anyway, Tifa, I don't do this often, but would you like to—"

"Tifa."

The brunette instantly flinched, recognizing the low voice almost immediately. She slowly turned her head to meet Cloud's striking gaze, his body seeming to tower over hers.

"Cloud, hi—"

"I need to talk to you," he interrupted before taking her by the arm.

"Uh, excuse me," Tifa told a baffled Yusuke as he watched Cloud lead her outside the party room.

Once outside, Tifa noticed they were in a garden with a balcony-like railing bordering the plants, bushes and trees of the patio. She felt Cloud place his hands on her tiny waist as he lifted her slightly, positioning her to sit against the railing. Tifa placed her hands against his broad shoulders for balance.

The brunette woman blinked, perplexed by his actions. "Cloud, what—"

Her eyes widened when she felt a pair of lips against her own. The sudden weight of him against her almost made her fall backwards, but he had a firm grasp on her waist, keeping her balanced.

Her eyes fluttered close when Cloud slanted his mouth over hers, running a hot tongue across her bottom lip. She responded almost immediately, parting her lips as Cloud quickly took advantage and slipped his tongue inside.

Tifa wound one arm around his neck and fisted her other hand in his thick spiky locks as Cloud pulled her closer against him. She felt herself becoming dizzy from the hunger in his kiss and the heat radiating from his body.

She pulled away, panting for air as he kissed her cheek, then her jaw line before trailing kisses down her neck. Tifa could feel pleasurable tingles running up and down her spine as she tilted her head back, giving him more access to her neck as she gulped for air. His teeth scraped against her skin, his tongue following soon after.

Suddenly, Tifa's eyes flew open as she realized they were still at the charity gala. She meekly pressed a hand against Cloud's chest, biting her lip to conceal her moan when he began to suck at the junction where her neck and shoulder meet.

"Cloud… inside… what if—?" she panted.

He pulled away, and Tifa almost wished she hadn't said anything when the pleasurable tingles almost instantly left her when he did so.

"The curtains are drawn. They can't see."

As she opened her mouth to reply, Cloud kissed her once more, instantly making her forget any argumentative point she had. His tongue swerved inside her mouth, rubbing against hers as he tangled a hand in her silky brown hair, tilting her head back so he could kiss her deeper.

Tifa pressed delicate fingertips across his chest before she unbuttoned a few of the buttons on the lower part of his dress shirt and slipped her hands inside. As if he wasn't radiating enough heat, his skin felt like it was burning against her touch. She ran her hands along the chiseled features of his torso, feeling her desire grow at the feeling of his taught abs well defined against his stomach.

When Cloud pulled away and ran his tongue along her neck, Tifa fisted her hands in his shirt and wrapped one long leg around his waist, arching her back against his chest. The hand that was tangled in her hair slipped down from her shoulder to her breast, giving the fleshy mound a tight squeeze as she released a breathy moan to his touch. His hand slipped to her waist as he captured her lips once more.

Tifa leaned into the kiss before pulling away. "Cloud… I—"

_((SFX: click!))_

The sound instantly snapped her brown eyes open, but before she could gather her thoughts, she felt Cloud's mouth cover hers once more. Thinking it was just her imagination, Tifa slanted her mouth over his as she ran her hands through his hair, shivering in delight when Cloud ran his hand up her thigh, crinkling the fabric of her thin dress.

_((SFX: click click!))_

Hearing the sound again, this time more than once, Tifa placed her hands against Cloud's chest and pushed him away from her. He stared at her and Tifa focused her clouded senses to her hearing. She heard a rustle of leaves before she whisked her head over her shoulder, spotting at the last second a paparazzo dashing out of the bushes and sneaking away with his camera in tow.

Tifa gaped, her cheeks flushed darkly. "Cloud," she began, her voice breathy and her lips throbbing from his kisses. "Was that just for the camera?"

Cloud placed her back on the floor, taking a step away from her as he buttoned the lower buttons of his dress shirt. Tifa searched his face for any answer, but he said nothing, fixing his gaze to the floor.

He finished the last button then fixed his collar. He finally looked at her, but she couldn't read the expression in his eyes. He pulled her thin straps back on her shoulders and, without a word, turned around and headed back inside the gala.

Tifa watched his retreating back, suddenly feeling the night's chill air as it blew against her arms.


	6. Consequences

**Author's Note:**The reviewer turnout for this story is turning out a lot better than I thought it would, since the FFVII category isn't one to get many reviews. Thank you every single one of you! You seriously make my day when I read your review. It just warms my heart.

I just want to say a quick thank you to these lovely reviewers for being with me and reviewing from the very first chapter! _RubyRedTifa, Numinous-Alqua, Amber, Shivana, faebsel, StrifeRose, sunflowerspot, vLuna, iNessie, sorakun9, TemariDarkSoul_.

And I love the rest of you as well! All you guys really make me happy!

Okay, enough of that. Enjoy the chapter, I hope you like it!

**Disclaimer:**I own nothing at all but the plot line.

_Warning: Chapter contains mature content._

* * *

><p><strong>The Risks of Gambling<strong>

Summary: [AU] Tifa didn't know she had a gambling problem until she staked her freedom… and lost. [CloudTifa] [ZackAerith]

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6 – Consequences<strong>

The ride home was a silent one. After saying goodbyes to Gast, the women Tifa had been chatting with and Cloud's colleagues, Cloud and Tifa walked wordlessly to the service car waiting at the curb of the street.

Tifa couldn't bring herself to look at Cloud's eyes, keeping her stare on the floor. She noticed from her peripheral vision that he was not looking at her either, avoiding her eyes as he kept his gaze straight ahead of him. Once the two reached the car, the chauffeur opened the door for Tifa. She slid inside, placing herself as close to the door as possible. When Cloud entered the car as well, she noticed his posture was incredibly stiff.

When Cloud settled inside, Tifa smelled his overbearing scent as it seemed to waft over to her. A blush dusted her cheeks as the scent caused her to instantly remember him being pressed tightly against her, kissing her so fervently that her lips throbbed just thinking about it. Tifa brought a steady hand to her mouth, oblivious that Cloud watched her do so with darkened cerulean eyes. The power, the hunger in his kiss left her heart racing merely thinking about it.

Cloud forced his eyes away, inwardly cursing at himself. How could he lose his self control like that? Her lips, her smooth, porcelain skin—they tasted delicious and he found himself craving for more. He clenched his fist tightly at his side. He could not begin to imagine what was running through her mind, what impression she had of him when he left her wordlessly in the courtyard.

"_Cloud… was that just for the camera?" _

It had taken a moment for her question to process in his mind. He had been too busy staring at her ruffled hair, her flushed cheeks, her parted pink lips, her heaving chest. When it finally did occur to him what she had said, his brain was racing for an answer.

Seeing Tifa with another man gave him the carnal desire to claim her. Despite the fact that the public already considered them together, privately they were merely business associates. He had not considered for a moment what her feelings were towards him, but remembering the hands in his hair and underneath his shirt confirmed she had felt something too.

He had never anticipated someone watching them. But on the other hand, he was too consumed with her to notice anything else.

He had left her in silence because not even he could explain what had happened, what had suddenly came over him to kiss her, taste her, touch her—

Cloud inwardly cursed. His thoughts were sending blood rushing to his loins. This was not like him. He was a man of self-control. He always had control of his basic instincts, of his primal urges. He lifted his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes.

He had crossed a line. Where they would go from there he could not predict.

"Sir?"

The voice immediately drew Cloud out of his thoughts. He looked to his right, seeing the car door open and the owner of the voice, his driver, staring questioningly at him.

"We're here, sir," said the driver.

Cloud looked to his left, seeing the seat where Tifa had been now empty. Lifting his gaze, he barely caught a glimpse of her as she scurried inside, her long brown hair flying back behind her as she closed the front door behind her.

* * *

><p>"<em>Tag! You're it!"<em>

_The sound of a little girl's laughter echoed throughout the open field, unrestrained by the border of trees thick with leaves. Cloud stumbled back a few steps from her "tag", watching the girl dash away from him. Her long, brunette hair tied in a high ponytail flailed behind her as she ran. _

"_You'll have to hurry if you want to catch me!" she shouted, giggling once more as she scampered even quicker, sprinting without a care in the world._

_Cloud dashed after her, straining his small legs as much as he could before he caught up to her within moments. He put a small hand on her shoulder, and her laughter rang in his ears when she realized he had caught her. The two children eventually stopped running, and the girl before him panted softly before whipping her head around. _

_All he could see was the bright smile she was flashing at him._

"_Aw, you got me! I guess I'm 'it' now! Okay, this time I'll give you a head start—" _

"_Sweetie! Sweetie pie! Where did you go off running to this time? We're going to be late for ballerina lessons again!" _

_Hearing a woman's voice, Cloud watched the girl turn away from him, facing the direction where the voice was coming from. _

_Her shoulders slumped heavily as she mumbled to herself, "Aw, mommy's here." She sprinted towards where her mother's voice came from, then turned to face the young boy. "I have to go now, but meet me here again tomorrow, okay, Cloud?" She beamed at him, waved goodbye to him with her whole arm, and then darted away._

_Curiosity lead him to follow her, hiding behind the bark of a tree as he watched the girl go up to a woman with the same long, brunette hair and light skin. She wore a blazer with a skirt as a pearl necklace rested against her neck._

"_Oh, honey, what happened to your dress? And your shoes? And your hair?" Cloud heard the woman say, her tone reprimanding as she inspected the girl's clothes. The little girl was wearing a light blue short-sleeved dress, but the skirt was crumpled and there were numerous grass stains. Her hair had twigs sticking out of it and her nice white shoes had splotches of brown. The woman wet her finger and began rubbing dirt off her daughter's face. "Oh, sweetie, why do you insist on getting so dirty? You know this makes mommy look bad. Why can't you just wear clean dresses and be a good little girl?" _

_He watched the woman take the girl's hand and lead her inside a large house, so large Cloud would have to turn his head multiple times to look at the property in its entirety. When the mother-daughter pair were out of sight, the young boy frowned. He looked down to his own plain gray shirt and blue shorts, both marred with grass stains, dirt, and holes. He sighed, his head hanging low as he turned around and trudged through the field._

* * *

><p>It seemed as though the sun's dazzling shine was especially bright that morning when Cloud drifted out of his slumber. He opened his cerulean eyes for a moment before he lowered them, his forearm resting against his forehead as his gaze became half-lidded, staring at the wall in a daze.<p>

_That dream again… _

Eventually he swung his legs over the side of his bed, standing up as he scooped up a pair of pants from the floor to put on his boxer-clad body. He quickly left his bedroom, walking down the hallway towards the kitchen. The blood rushed to his brain from his sudden movement, blurring his vision for a moment before it soon cleared by the time he was at the refrigerator. He opened the door, took out the carton of orange juice and poured himself a glass. He took a sip and turned around, only for his sights to quickly fall on the brunette sitting at the kitchen table holding a coffee mug.

Tifa was wearing a thin, white silk robe over her light blue nightgown, and he noticed when his gaze fell upon her she stiffened, fidgeted and moved the robe to cover herself more. Her eyes seemed fix on the steam rising from her coffee mug, her fingers having an unusual tense grip around the cup.

The morning rays streaming from the large window seemed to give the room a heavenly glow. He watched her quietly, taking another drink from the glass of orange juice in his hand.

Normally he would not have minded the silence, as that's what he preferred over forced small talk, but at that moment Cloud found himself somewhat wanting Tifa to start the conversation, or at least look at him and acknowledge his presence in the room with her.

Hearing the scrape of the chair legs against the floor brought Cloud out of his thoughts. He watched Tifa stand up, still fixing her gaze on the floor, and begin to walk out of the room.

"Tifa."

She stopped, turning her head over her shoulder to glance at him. Cloud stayed silent for a moment, taking a few moments to choose his words carefully. Tifa watched him and waited patiently.

"Last night…" he began, then became silent again as he avoided her gaze. After a few moments he spoke up. "If you're uncomfortable, you can leave."

Tifa turned her body to face him fully. She raised an eyebrow at his statement, looking at him inquisitively. "Really? Just like that?"

"We had an agreement, and what happened last night was not part of the arrangement. If you don't want to stay, you don't have to."

Tifa listened to his words carefully. The way he spoke was so professional and matter-of-fact; it left her wondering if he had felt any emotional attachment to what had transpired the previous night.

Cloud studied her face carefully. Her expression had not changed the whole time he spoke—she merely remained standing, looking at him with her large, brown eyes that frustrated him because he couldn't read them. A silence settled between the two before Tifa finally spoke.

"Just one question," began the brunette woman. Her gaze faltered for a moment before she licked her lips and looked at Cloud directly in the eye. "Why did you do it? Why did you kiss me? Was it really just for the camera?"

Cloud immediately fell silent. Of all the things he thought she would say in response to his words, he never anticipated she would ask _that_. His cerulean eyes fell from her face to the floor.

Tifa bit the inside of her mouth. She didn't know what came over her to ask him so bluntly why he had kissed her. She could see him fumbling over how to respond as he still refused to look at her. When he finally did meet her eyes and opened his mouth to answer her question, she interrupted him.

"I change my mind. Forget I asked," she said quickly. "I don't want to know why." She folded her arms behind her back. "But tell me this. How much longer do you think we'll be keeping up this charade?"

"Not much longer." His answer was almost immediate.

She nodded at the information. "Look, we've come this far, and I gave you my word that I would help you out and see it through to the end. I've always kept my word, and I don't plan on breaking it over a silly little mishap. Okay?"

Cloud studied her face intently for a few moments, then nodded.

Tifa flashed him a feign smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Okay. Now, if that's all, I would like to leave to get dressed."

"Where are you going?" he asked calmly.

"I need to go check inventory for my bar and see how it's holding up."

Cloud nodded once more, and Tifa gave him a slight smile before she left the room. Once out of his sight, she sighed quietly. She had been somewhat hopeful that Cloud had felt the same spark she had felt last night when he had kissed her, but based on his response to the affair, she doubted he had felt anything at all.

_I shouldn't be thinking like this, though, _she thought to herself, shaking her head to rid her thoughts. _Clearly he doesn't want to mix business with pleasure, and neither should I. _

* * *

><p>The flowers swayed softly in the breeze in Aerith's church.<p>

Cloud roamed inside the large building, glancing from the rows of benches to stain-glassed windows to the flowers. With no one there, the air had a peaceful tranquility and exuded a calm atmosphere that made Cloud feel serene. He had decided to come to Aerith's church to clear his head, specifically his thoughts that particularly revolved around a certain brunette.

He sat on the bench at the very front of the rows and looked at the field of flowers in the garden of the church. The rays of the sun were streaming down to the flowers, giving them a brilliant glow.

A flower with clear white petals and a bright yellow center particularly caught his eye. A flash of the little brunette girl's face, the one from the dreams he had been having, came to his mind, with the very same flower he was currently looking at adorned in her pretty brunette hair.

Cloud leaned his head back and looked up to the clear blue sky, watching the thick, fluffy white clouds casually pass by. He was completely puzzled by the dreams he had been having—specifically why they had been coming to him recently and why he couldn't explain what he was dreaming of, such as who was that girl, and why did he only remember her smile?

All Cloud knew was after having a dream with the little girl, he would wake up the following morning feeling calm and relaxed, yet feeling as though he was forgetting something. Tifa's presence had done little to answer his questions—instead her presence only brought more questions, except now they weren't about the dream, but about her, her thoughts, her opinion of him…

Cloud closed his eyes. Aerith's church normally helped him clear his thoughts, but it wasn't helping much today. He stood up, shoved his hands in his pockets and left the building.

He wanted to go find Zack and have his friend try to figure out the mess going on in his head. Zack was one of the few people who knew Cloud better than himself. But since him and Aerith were nowhere to be found, Cloud only assumed they were out spending time together, since between work, social gatherings and Cloud at home, there was hardly ever time for the two of them to really be alone.

Cloud left the church and decided to wander the streets to help clear his thoughts. He had no plan on where to go, but that was his intention, as he figured he would be focused on figuring out where he was going rather than anyone else that happened to enter his thoughts.

* * *

><p>He didn't know how long he had been wandering or where he had been going. All Cloud knew was that he had crossed many crosswalks, saw many streetlights and watched several cars drive by when the sun began to set. Since it was Sunday, most of the shops were closed early, leaving the streets to be only lit by dim streetlights.<p>

It wasn't until a lone light caught his eye that Cloud noticed he was in an unfamiliar part of town. It didn't bother him so much though because he knew how to take care of himself ever since he was younger.

More out of curiosity than anything else, Cloud decided to walk into the building with the lone light shining and see what lay inside. He heard the clinking of glass hitting one another before he stepped into the room.

His eyes widened slightly when he found Tifa inside washing dirty glasses and drying them before she lined them up and put them away. She was so preoccupied in her task she hadn't even noticed him come in.

He had contemplated whether or not he should make his presence known to her as he glanced around the room. It was a spacious room filled with several bar stools and small tables. There were several different drinks lined up on the counter of the bar. Behind the bar was a small kitchen with a refrigerator and a sink. To the far right of the room there was a staircase that Cloud presumed led to a set of bedrooms.

"Cloud?"

The man was brought out of his thoughts upon hearing Tifa's voice. He looked at her and watched her put a hand to her hip as she raised an eyebrow.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"The light was on," Cloud replied. "I was curious."

"But what are you doing on the other side of town?"

Cloud merely shrugged. His eyes shifted from her face to the several alcohol bottles beside her. Tifa followed his gaze with a quirked brow.

Predicting his train of thought, she asked, "Do you want something to drink?"

"Are you offering?"

"Is that a yes?"

Cloud didn't respond but instead stepped inside and sat down on one of the bar stools.

"What would you like?" Tifa asked.

"Anything," Cloud responded simply.

He watched the brunette nod, then take one of the bottles and grab a glass from the cabinet. He watched how she expertly handled the large vodka bottle as she poured him a glass of the clear liquid and placed it in front of him before she put the bottle down.

"Thanks," he muttered before he grabbed the drink and took a swig.

Tifa nodded, then resumed her cleaning. She began to wipe down the counter as Cloud watched her absentmindedly, a comfortable silence settling between the two.

Tifa knew Cloud's eyes were on her, but she didn't mind, and instead found herself enjoying his company since she had begun to feel lonely by herself in her bar. After all, not many people came to drink on a Sunday.

Once finished wiping down the counter, Tifa stood up straight and placed the damp towel aside. She stretched her arms and took a deep breath before she found a hair tie and tied her hair back. As she did so, her eyes darted over to Cloud, only to find him staring at the alcohol in his hand. His deep cerulean eyes seemed distant, as though he were thinking hard on something.

Seeing this, the corner of Tifa's mouth tugged downwards, feeling slightly concerned. "Cloud?" she began softly. She saw his head snap up at the sound of his name as he looked at her. "Is something on your mind?"

He didn't answer her question; instead he took another sip of the vodka he was holding.

"I'm a good listener, you know," she added, a smile curving her lips when he met her eyes once more. He only stared at her and didn't give a sign that he was going to answer her. She shrugged and turned around, giving her back to him as she finished tying her hair up. "You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to. I just think it would help if you got whatever it is off your chest—"

"I've been having strange dreams lately," he said, interrupting her.

Cloud didn't know what came over him to answer her question so abruptly. Normally he would have stayed silent until she gave up on asking him what's wrong, as he would have done with anyone, but he found himself having a natural tendency to answer any question asked by Tifa, though he didn't know why. Nevertheless, he knew there was no going back now, and figured putting his thoughts into words could maybe help him make sense of them.

Tifa had turned around and was looking at him with curiosity twinkling in her brown eyes. He wasn't facing her but instead looking at the drink in his hand.

"A dream?" she asked.

"Yeah," he responded. He took another sip of his drink. "I've been having the same dream the past few weeks. I've had similar dreams before, but they happened months, almost years apart. Now I'm having the same dream every few days and I don't know why."

Tifa tilted her head thoughtfully. "What's the dream about?"

"A girl and I playing together when we were children," he answered her. "I don't know her name, but we get along well."

Tifa walked to the counter and rested her forearms against it. She leaned her cheek into the palm of her hand as she drummed her fingers against her cheek. "What does the little girl look like?"

"She has brown eyes and brown hair."

"Well, that narrows it down," Tifa joked, a smile curving her lips. However her smile fell from her face when Cloud looked at her and began to stare at her intensely. He was so intimidating when he looked at her like that. Her stomach began to churn from the intensity building in his eyes so Tifa cleared her throat, refilled his drink (as she noticed it beginning to run low) and asked, "Does anything else happen in these dreams?"

"No. I'm just playing with her in a meadow."

"And?"

"And what?"

"What else? Tell me the details."

Cloud paused for a moment, recollecting the dream in his mind. Tifa waited patiently as he gathered his thoughts.

"It's… the weather is bright. Very sunny. She laughs a lot… her smile lights up her face. All I can remember is her smile… The field has long grass blades and is surrounded by trees. She wears dresses with white shoes and always gets them dirty so her mother would scold her about it…"

Cloud trailed off and then took another swig of the vodka in his hand. He lifted his cerulean eyes to look at Tifa who merely looked back at him with her chocolate brown eyes.

"What?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. He didn't understand why she was looking at him like that, with large brown eyes he couldn't read; he hadn't said anything out of the ordinary, in his opinion.

"Nothing," Tifa replied, mumbling, as she looked away from his gaze and down to the counter of the bar.

A light blush dusted her cheeks. She had been studying Cloud's features instead of listening to him as he spoke, noting how chiseled his cheeks were, how sharp his jaw was, and how his eyes were an everlasting blue. She felt her blush darken as she felt Cloud's eyes studying her features, obviously confused why she was acting odd and flustered.

Clearing her thoughts by shaking her head, Tifa added, "I wish I could help you, Cloud, but I don't have any answers for you." She took his now empty glass from his hand and walked over to the sink and began to wash it. "I guess I'm not as wise a bartender I thought I was," she joked, turning off the sink.

She turned to dry the glass and put it away, however she felt her back collide into a firm chest. Her heart skipped a beat when she turned around and her brown eyes fell upon Cloud's handsome face.

"…Cloud?" she spoke, though her voice was a soft whisper. "What are you doing?"

"I wasn't done," he replied. His cerulean eyes seemed to darken as they bored into hers.

"O-Okay," she stuttered, cursing herself for doing so. She tried to turn to retrieve another glass, but Cloud had trapped her between his warm body and the counter behind her. "Um, Cloud, I need to move to get you a glass—"

"Not that," he interrupted. He watched her large brown eyes look at him, wide and confused. He lifted his hand, grasped her chin and tilted her face towards him. Thick lashes lowered over Tifa's eyes for a moment before they fluttered open as Cloud ran the pad of his thumb against her lower lip.

Her throat went dry, and Tifa swallowed hard, which she was sure Cloud could feel considering how close he was to her. Her heart was thumping so wildly it felt as though it would burst out of her chest.

"Last night…" he murmured, his voice fading away. _It wasn't for the camera. _Her lips, her taste, her touch—it haunted him, and he had been craving it madly since he first kissed her. She was incredibly, astonishingly addicting, and he wanted more, a lot more.

"Cloud…" she whispered, though it didn't break his gaze from her lips. Her eyes widened when she saw the tip of his tongue emerge from his mouth before he ran it slowly along her plump lower lip. She gasped from the touch, and that was all he needed to close the space between them as he crushed his mouth hungrily against hers.

His tongue swerved inside her mouth, immediately tangling with hers. His other hand took the hair tie from her hair and buried itself in her long brown hair. He tugged on her hair to tilt her head back, allowing him to kiss her deeper.

Tifa could taste the lingering vodka in his mouth but she didn't care. There were no cameras, no people around for miles. He was kissing her because he wanted to, and she couldn't deny that she wanted the same. She wound her arms around his neck and pulled him closer.

He ran his hands down her sides, leaving jolts of electricity tingling down Tifa's spine. His hands stopped when they reached her ass, giving her fleshy rear a hearty squeeze. Tifa pulled away from his lips as she gasped and her head lolled back.

Cloud kissed along her jaw line before running his slick tongue up and down her neck. His hands continued to knead her rump as he pushed her hips closer against his. Then he scooped her up and placed her against the counter. Tifa eagerly wrapped her long, smooth legs around his waist. Cloud ran his long, coarse fingers along her legs before one hand rested against where her neck and shoulder meet. His mouth sucked against the smooth porcelain skin of her neck and Tifa moaned his name, tugging at the spikes of his blonde hair.

He lifted his head and looked at her under darkened cerulean eyes. She was looking at him too, under hooded eyelids fringed with dark, long lashes. He watched her small, pink tongue dart out to lick her upper lip before Tifa pulled him towards her and kissed him, tugging his lower lip between her teeth.

She pressed her chest against him and Cloud growled at the contact. He reached for the zipper of her black, sleeveless top before pulling it down. Tifa shrugged the top off of her, leaving her in a thin, white tank top that did little to conceal her arousal.

Cloud pulled away from Tifa's sweet lips before his large hands settled against her ample breasts. The woman gasped as he squeezed tightly, her fingers bracing the counter to try and keep her balance.

He watched her face as he massaged her chest, watching so many emotions flash across it. Her eyes were shut tight and she was panting heavily as loud mewls spilled out of her pink, swollen mouth. He leaned forward, licking along her jaw line before kissing her cheek. Her skin was enveloped in a thin layer of sweat, making her taste salty, but delicious nonetheless.

He lowered his head and ran his tongue along the swells of her breasts before he pinched her hardened peaks. Tifa moaned loudly and tangled her hands in his blonde hair. Cloud lowered his head further before poking his tongue out and teasingly flicking it across her clothed nipple. Tifa gasped and bit her lip.

Cloud circled his tongue around the rosy bud, watching her white shirt dampen against his saliva. His other hand pinched and squeezed her left breast while he licked and teased the other. He saw Tifa bring her hands to the hem of her tank top, fumbling through a mind clouded with lust as she tried to yank the thin fabric off of her.

Cloud swatted her hands away, looking at her as she pouted cutely at him. He pressed his lips against hers as his hands lifted the tank top until it rested just above her naked breasts.

He pulled away and a new layer of lust settled in as he stared at her chest. Tifa blushed under his scrutiny before reaching out to him, pulling him towards her as she kissed his chiseled jaw and tugged at his earlobe between her teeth. He groaned as she kissed and nipped at his skin, putting his hands back to her naked breasts as he squeezed and kneaded the fleshy mounds.

Tifa moaned his name loudly against his ear as she squirmed underneath his touch. Her moans escalated louder when his lips sucked on a rosy peak, sucking and tugging at it with his teeth.

He loved hearing her moan his name, feeling her pull his hair and claw at his skin. He gave a final suck before he grasped her hips tightly and brought his lips to her ear.

"I'm going to make you scream," he whispered brashly, his hot breath fanning her neck as he ground his hips into her.

Tifa bit her lip tight and bucked her hips when she felt his massive arousal against her. She closed her eyes and cried out his name when he ground into her once more, raking her nails along his neck and pressing her bare chest against his. She rolled her hips against his and Cloud groaned at the delicious friction, tugging at her skirt—

The sound of a door opening suddenly caused the two to spring apart. Tifa pulled her shirt down and Cloud shifted awkwardly to hide the now obvious bulge in his pants. A dark blush reddened Tifa's face as she fixed her hair and crossed her arms across her chest.

"Hello?" a man's voice called. He stepped inside and once he saw the two, particularly Tifa with her messy hair and several red blotches spread across her neck and chest, he grinned a wide, wolfish grin. "Oh," said the man, who seemed in his forties, "am I interrupting something?"

"N-No," Tifa stammered, her blush becoming even darker.

"Right," said the man, his stupid grin growing wider. "I saw the light on and thought you were open. But I see I came at a wrong time." He winked at Cloud whose heavy, menacing scowl did little to faze him. "My apologies for interrupting. I'll leave you two be. Have fun!" added the man before turning around, holding his sides as he laughed a hearty laugh.

When the door closed behind him, Tifa released a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. She glanced over her shoulder towards the clock, surprised to see it was eleven pm already.

She looked at Cloud and called his name, watching the blonde turn and glance at her. She blushed prettily seeing the red marks across his neck and the scratches along his arms as well as his messy hair. She could only imagine how she looked in comparison.

"It's getting late…" Tifa said, tugging on her white tank top as she kept her gaze fixed on the floor. "We should get going before Zack and Aerith wonder where we are."

Cloud stared at her, her disheveled appearance making it difficult to pay attention to anything she said, let alone remind him that he had to respond. Several moments of silence settled between them before Cloud cleared his throat. Tifa snapped her head up and looked at him, her eyes wide like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Where's the shower?" Cloud asked, and Tifa blushed seeing his legs shift slightly.

"Upstairs, on the right," she replied, and he nodded. She watched him walk up the stairs until he was out of sight, then she brought a hand to her throbbing lips and sighed.

* * *

><p>Ten minutes had passed before Cloud came back downstairs. Tifa had fixed her hair and put her black top back on, zipping it up when she heard Cloud's footsteps come down.<p>

Cloud shook the remaining water out of his hair, feeling his head clear up as the vodka began to flush out of his system.

"Ready?" Tifa asked, a small smile gracing her features.

Cloud looked at her, staying quiet for a moment before muttering a simple, "Yeah."

Tifa nodded and took one last glance at her bar before she headed towards the door. It wasn't until she brushed passed Cloud that she heard him mumble something to her.

She looked at him and blinked. "What?"

"It wasn't for the camera," he told her, his voice low and husky. "It never was."

Tifa tilted her head to the side, baffled at what he was talking about before she recalled what she had asked him the previous night.

"_Cloud… was that just for the camera?" _

Cloud could see the recognition in her eyes when she met his stare again. Then a dazzling smile warmed her face, and he felt his stomach churn seeing her genuine, bright smile directed to him.

Tifa never said anything back. She only continued to smile at him as she took his hand and intertwined her fingers with his, leading him out the door.

He didn't say anything, nor did he pull his hand away.


	7. Struggles

**Author's Note: **Now the plot only thickens my friends. The heated section from the last chapter was mostly for my darling readers, since this story is rated M for a reason, and I kind of figured scenes like the one in the last chapter was one of the allures of this story anyway.

I could go on forever on how much I love getting feedback from my readers! Thank you so much. I love reading your opinions of the chapters! So please don't forget to review. :)

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing but the plotline.

* * *

><p><strong>The Risks of Gambling<strong>

Summary: [AU] Tifa didn't know she had a gambling problem until she staked her freedom… and lost. [CloudTifa] [ZackAerith]

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7 – Struggles<strong>

The tension earlier that morning dissipated between the two during the walk home. Tifa's hand pulled Cloud along for a few moments before he fell into place beside her, and the walk back to the Shinra Mansion was in content silence.

Quiet as she was lost in her thoughts, Tifa had come to realize she enjoyed Cloud's company. The time she had spent at her bar had been mostly occupied with thoughts of him and what he was doing. When she saw him later that evening in her bar, she was surprised, but she couldn't deny that she was happy to see him.

She bit her lip remembering the way he had kissed her, the way he had touched her. Her hand unconsciously squeezed his at the memory. He looked at her and she smiled when she realized his eyes were on her. He lifted an eyebrow and she laughed and shook her head, pressing her side into his.

The two continued walking in silence until a brunette woman walked by the pair. Tifa couldn't deny the tangs of jealousy she felt pierce her heart when Cloud's eyes all but jumped out when he saw the woman walk by.

As if she could tell someone was watching her, the brunette woman pushed her hair back and looked over her shoulder. When her gaze met Cloud's, her eyes widened in recognition. She stopped in her tracks and turned around to face him.

"Hey…" she began, and at this point Cloud had turned to face the girl as well. Tifa blinked her brown eyes curiously as the brunette woman took a few steps closer to the pair. "Do you remember me?" she asked Cloud, who said nothing and simply looked back at her with a hint of confusion in his eyes. She laughed faintly and gave him a kind smile. "Probably not, I don't blame you. It's been a long time…"

"Do I know you?" Cloud asked, his eyes narrowing somewhat.

"You did, when we were children," the girl explained. She turned towards Tifa and smiled brightly. "I'm sorry, I didn't introduce myself," she said as she extended her hand. "My name's Rinoa Hartilly, nice to meet you."

"Hi, I'm Tifa," replied the brunette as she shook the girl's hand with her free hand and gave her a small, polite smile. "Nice to meet you too." She retracted her hand a tucked a loose strand behind her ear. "I'm sorry, how did you say you know Cloud?"

"We met when we were kids," Rinoa explained. "I lost contact with him over the years though." She flashed her smile towards the blonde. "I can't believe it, Cloud. You haven't changed a bit. You're still quiet as a mouse."

Thousands of thoughts raced through Cloud's mind. The eyes, the hair, the smile—Rinoa literally struck him with familiarity the minute he laid eyes on her. Suddenly he was beginning to find answers to the many questions that had been plaguing his mind.

"Well, I should get going," Rinoa said, drawing Cloud out of his thoughts. His head snapped up to look at her. "I don't want to interrupt you two, and I still have a few errands to run. It was great seeing you, Cloud—"

"Wait," Cloud said, causing both Rinoa and Tifa to look at him questioningly. He removed his hand from Tifa's and took a step towards Rinoa, oblivious to the frown marring Tifa's pretty face. "I'll go with you."

Rinoa blinked at the offer. Her eyes darted over his shoulder to Tifa before she returned her gaze to Cloud. "Oh, you don't have to do that," she replied. "But if you'd like to catch up, why don't you meet me at the coffee shop around the corner tomorrow? Around six?" Cloud nodded, and Rinoa smiled. "Okay, I'll see you then." She gave a final glance towards Tifa. "It was nice meeting you!" she said before she turned on her heel and continued walking down the street.

Cloud watched her retreating back for a few moments before he turned around. His cerulean eyes were fixed on the cement of the sidewalk before he heard Tifa take a few steps towards him and say something.

He glanced at her. "What?"

"I said she seems nice," Tifa said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Anyway, we should get going, hm?"

Before Cloud could answer, Tifa turned around and walked several steps ahead of him.

* * *

><p>"Cloud, what the hell is this?"<p>

Sephiroth's voice was scolding as he scowled at the blonde before him, shoving the newspaper he had been holding to the silent businessman.

Cerulean eyes scanned over the print briefly, lingering on the large photograph in the article in particular. His eyes narrowed when he saw the image was of him and Tifa, their mouths heatedly pressed against each others, their hands everywhere—hers in his hair and chest, his on her leg and waist.

"Explain yourself," Sephiroth said, his voice low.

The blonde's gaze remained on the picture before he looked impassively at the silver-haired man glowering across from him.

"I have nothing to say," he muttered.

"Of course you don't, but a picture is worth a thousand words," retorted Sephiroth. A heavy scowl set in his features. "This one's worth a million. Do you realize how this reflects on the company, Cloud? Acting like some idiotic teenager who can't keep it in his pants."

Cloud brushed off the insult but couldn't help his eyes narrowing and flashing at the remark.

"I thought this type of press was over when Fair met that girl," Sephiroth continued. "This behavior I would expect from him. Is that why you did it, Cloud?" His scowl curled into a taunting smirk. "Tired of living in Fair's shadow?"

"No," Cloud ground out through clenched teeth.

The smirk fell from the silver-haired man's face as quick as it came. "Either way, I don't care. Nothing justifies what you did. Now Gast is going to see the company as run by two idiots who have their head up their asses—"

"Is that all, Sephiroth?" Cloud said. His fist clenched at his side—he hated being lectured, particularly by a man who made his blood boil.

Sephiroth ignored him and continued, taking the newspaper as he eyed the photograph with a licentious glint in his eye. "Though, she is a beautiful girl… gorgeous legs… Tell me, Cloud, does she taste as sweet as she looks?"

He smirked wickedly when Cloud responded with a menacing glare, his cerulean eyes glowing threateningly.

"Perhaps I'll find out for myself," added the chairman, "seeing as you won't need her services anymore." He saw a hint confusion flash across Cloud's face. Sephiroth added, "You won't be showing up with this girl anymore, for now, to make sure _that_"—he pointed towards the newspaper—"doesn't happen again. Understand?"

"Fine," Cloud said through gritted teeth.

Sephiroth clicked his tongue. "You seem upset, Cloud. Don't tell me this girl isn't just a pretty date for pay." Cloud averted his boss's eyes, looking to the corner of the room. The silver-haired man propped his elbows on the table before him, lacing his fingers together as he leaned back in his chair casually. "You have what it takes to become chairman, Cloud. You can supercede Fair and control the company, but only if you keep yourself away from distractions."

Cloud only muttered, "I don't need your advice."

Sephiroth ignored him. "I see a lot of myself in you, Cloud. You have potential to become a man with a lot of power. Don't screw that up over some girl, no matter how ravishing she is."

He studied Cloud for a moment. Though he could see the clear contempt the blonde held in his face, he could see that his words were sinking into him. With that, Sephiroth gestured with his hand that he could leave, and Cloud didn't waste a moment after as he left the room without a word.

He brushed by Zack, ignoring the questioning look the raven-haired male was giving him as he closed the door in his office, sat in his chair and rubbed his throbbing temples.

He hated the fact that Sephiroth's words had gotten to him. Particularly because he knew he was right.

* * *

><p>The scent of coffee beans flooded Cloud's nose when he stepped inside the coffee shop. The lights were dim and every table was filled as idle chatter cluttered the air. He sifted through the sea of faces before he recognized Rinoa's eyes and smile, and when he spotted her, he walked towards her and took a seat.<p>

"Hey, glad you could make it," the brunette said as she beamed at him. She took a sip from her coffee and placed it down. "Would you like something to drink?"

"No," Cloud replied before briskly adding, "thank you."

Rinoa nodded. "So, Cloud, tell me, how've you been? It's so great to see you."

"Busy," he answered.

"I bet. I hear you're the CFO of Shinra."

Sephiroth's face flashed in Cloud's mind for a moment, and he frowned at the thought. He pushed the image to the back of his mind and nodded in response.

Rinoa gave him a genuine smile. "That's great to hear. Looks like you made it, like you always wanted."

"Yeah…" Cloud mumbled, his voice nonchalant. "What about you?" When Rinoa raised an eyebrow questioningly, the blonde added, "Why are you in town? Are you visiting?"

The brunette woman nodded. "I am, actually. I'm here to visit my uncle."

"How long are you staying?"

"A few days, maybe a few weeks," she replied with a shrug of her shoulders. Rinoa took another sip of her coffee. "You know, I remember when we were little, Cloud, and you went on an on about having your own motorcycle. You even made drawings of how you'd customize it and everything." She smiled fondly at the memory. "Do you remember, Cloud?"

"No," he replied in a mumble, looking at the table between them. "I don't remember."

Rinoa shrugged. "Don't feel bad. I'm sure over the years you've been concerned with so many things regarding your company and all that you forgot. Anyway, the point is I always figured you'd have your own motorcycle shop or something one day. I never would have guessed you'd join the corporate ladder, with a suit and all."

"I did get a motorcycle," he told her.

She beamed at him. "Did you name it Fenrir?"

"Yeah."

"Look at that, you accomplished two goals you set. Good for you."

Just then, Cloud felt a vibration against his back pocket. He took out his phone and glanced at the caller ID that read _Zack_ before looking at Rinoa.

She smiled in return. "Go ahead, it's fine," she said, gesturing him to answer the phone.

He nodded and flipped the phone open, holding it beside his ear. "Zack," he greeted simply, turning his head away slightly as he strained his ears to hear in the crowded coffee bar.

"Hey, Cloud. Where are you?"

"At a coffee place."

Zack lifted a brow. "Coffee? Since when do you drink coffee?"

"I don't. I'm in a meeting. Do you need something?"

"No, I'm just reminding you we got a party to go to tonight, at nine. Gast is particularly expecting us, so it's best if we don't arrive fashionably late, yeah?"

Cloud nodded, muttering in agreement before the two hung up the phone. Rinoa took another sip of her coffee before she broke the silence that had befallen them.

"Everything all right?" she asked.

He nodded, then added, "I have to go. There's a party I need to be at."

A hint of disappointment flashed across Rinoa's face before it turned into lighthearted amusement. "Oh, the social life of the upper class, having a party every week. I remember those."

Cloud didn't reply; instead he stayed quiet as his face twisted in contemplation. He stared at the table between them before he lifted his gaze to hers.

"You should come," he said.

Rinoa blinked her wide brown eyes. "What?"

"You should come," he repeated simply.

"Oh, I'm flattered, Cloud, but I don't want to impose—"

"You aren't."

Rinoa stared at him for a few moments. "You're serious?" He nodded in response, and the corner of her mouth quirked up in a smile. "I don't think I have a proper dress for the occasion—"

"I'll take care of it."

"You don't have to do that—"

"Rinoa. Come."

She laughed quietly at his persistence before a smile graced her face. "Okay, all right, I'll go. I'd love to come."

* * *

><p>When Cloud came home, he had passed by Tifa's room as he headed to his own.<p>

Tifa sat in front of her dresser on a small chair in front of a large vanity mirror, brushing her long damp brunette hair casually when she caught a glimpse of the blonde through the reflection of the mirror.

"Cloud," she called when he walked by. She turned around and saw him appear in her doorway moments later, looking at her.

She was dressed in a thin white silk robe that rode up her legs as she sat. His eyes traveled down those very legs, tracing how long and smooth they looked until a frown marred his face upon recalling how Sephiroth had commented about her legs.

He knew Sephiroth was only saying that to mess with him, but what troubled Cloud was that it did bother him. Those gorgeous long legs—the same ones that had locked around his waist, drawing him closer to her breathtaking body—were _his_ legs to admire, _his_ to run his coarse hands along from her calves to her thighs—

He had been so consumed in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed Tifa stand up and walk towards him, standing a few steps away from him. She called his name, which effectively drew him out of his thoughts as he looked at her.

She leaned towards him, taking a few whiffs from just above his shoulder of the scent emanating off of him. "You smell like coffee," she remarked. "You went to go meet with Rinoa?"

"Yeah," he replied, oblivious to the fact that he reeked of coffee considering all he could smell was her sweet scent.

He missed the flash of jealousy in her eyes. "How did it go?"

"Fine," he said simply.

She gave him a small smile. "Good. Zack tells me there's a party tonight. I'll be done in a few minutes—"

"That won't be necessary."

The woman looked at him, blinking her large, chocolate brown eyes. "What?"

Cloud avoided her eyes, looking at the corner in the room. "I won't need you tonight."

Tifa lifted a brow, placing a hand on her hip. "You won't? Why not?"

"Boss's orders," Cloud replied matter-of-factly, ignoring the contempt he felt by complying with Sephiroth's orders. He hated being ordered around. "He wants to avoid what happened last time."

"Last time—?" Tifa questioned before the memory flashed in her mind: Cloud, taking her out to the balcony, kissing her so hungrily (and needy, which made her dizzy just thinking about it), then how the paparazzo took pictures of the two of them, effectively interrupting them.

She blushed prettily, ducking her head and tucking an idle wet strand of brunette hair behind her ear. "Oh, I see."

Internally, Cloud was somewhat glad he was ordered not to bring Tifa along, at least for a few events. He needed time away from her, needed things to distract himself from thoughts of her.

The previous night, he had dreamt of her, a dream that felt too real for his liking. She was moaning and squirming beneath him, in between the cool satin sheets of his bed, as his hands traced over every one of her curves. He watched her face twist in his pleasure, coated in a thin layer of sweat, causing her soft hair to stick to her creamy skin. Her eyes were shut tight, her cheeks flushed as she moved her head left to right, panting heavily before she arched her back against him when he brought his hand between her thighs, touching her where he knew it ached most—

Cloud muttered a string of curses, shutting his eyes tight to clear his thoughts. It was getting harder and harder for him to keep his hands off of her. How he wanted his dream to become a reality, especially with her in front of him standing in that thin, thin robe that shifted with every little move she made, giving him a glimpse of her cleavage and her smooth shoulders.

It would be so simple, too. All he had to do was step inside, close the door behind him, take her in his arms, take off that flimsy robe with a tug and he would feel those long legs once again circle around him, drawing him closer, begging him to give her the release they both desperately needed—

"Cloud?" Tifa said, her voice drawing the blonde out of his thoughts. He heard the concern in her tone, and he understood why she would be. His mouth was set in a thin line, his eyes shut very tight, his body very stiff. "Are you all right?"

He felt the back of her hand press against his forehead, which he just realized was lightly damp as a bead of sweat trickled down the side of his face, and he shut his eyes tighter before lifting and taking a hold of her thin wrist, removing her hand off of him.

"I'm fine," he muttered, though it sounded like he choked out the words. "I need to get ready," he added before he turned around and walked briskly down the hallway to his room.

Yes, not having her with him at parties was a good idea, a very good idea indeed.

* * *

><p>"Did I do something wrong?" Tifa asked as she braided Aerith's lovely long brunette hair. She wove each strand through the other, making an intricate design. "He looked so tense and uncomfortable… I don't know what I did, though."<p>

Aerith gave the girl a comforting smile. "I wouldn't worry about it, Tifa. Cloud has mood swings sometimes, it's best just to let him be. He'll come around."

"He said he didn't want me to come because tonight his boss ordered him not to bring me. Is that true?"

"Well, Zack said that Cloud was unusually quiet after Sephiroth spoke to him today. I'm sure Cloud's telling the truth, he's not the type to lie."

"You're probably right…" Tifa mumbled, taking a ribbon and tying it into Aerith's hair. "There, all done," she said, looking at the girl's reflection through the mirror as she flashed smile.

Aerith brushed her bangs out of her eyes as a breathtaking smile settled on her features. "Thank you," she said as Tifa nodded jovially. She swung her legs around the chair, turning away from the mirror to face Tifa. She brought her braided hair over her shoulder and played with the tips of the strands. "So…" she began, another smile slowly spreading across her lips as her brilliant green eyes held a mischievous twinkle. "Is Cloud a good kisser?"

Instantly Tifa felt her face heat up as a warm blush spread across her cheeks. "Wh-what?" she choked, swallowing the lump forming in her throat.

"You know what I mean," Aerith said as her smile grew wider, amused at Tifa's embarrassed reaction. "It's in all the papers, a picture of you two all over each other from the gala last Friday."

Tifa blushed harder and stared at the floor, her fingers fidgeting about nervously.

Aerith's cheery laugh filled the small room. "Well, at least I was right about one thing."

Tifa lifted her eyes to look at her friend, curious. "What's that?"

"He has feelings for you, and you have feelings for him too."

Tifa blushed and ducked her head away. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Aerith gave her a knowing smile. "It's written all over your face."

Tifa played with idle strands of her hair. "Is it that obvious?" Aerith merely smiled and nodded. Tifa shyly glanced at the floor. "And with Cloud, do you really think he…?"

"The way Cloud looks at you, there's something there, I'm sure of it." Aerith studied Tifa's face, noting the uncertainty in her expression. "Am I wrong?"

"I don't know," Tifa murmured. "He hasn't said anything."

"I wouldn't expect Cloud to," she replied. "What about you?"

Tifa glanced at her. "What about me?"

"Have you said anything to him?"

She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Um… not really. I'm not really good at that kind of thing…"

Aerith gave her a kind, genuine smile. "When the time comes, you'll know what to say. Cloud will come around, don't worry. Just give him time. He's not good at letting people in, that's probably why he was tense around you earlier."

Tifa looked at the brunette with hopeful eyes. "You think so?"

Aerith nodded. "Just be patient. He'll come around, you'll see."

Tifa nodded back, a beatific smile making its way across her pretty face. "Thank you, Aerith."

The girl nodded before standing up and brushing herself off a bit. Then she looked at Tifa and grinned. "So," she said, causing the brunette to look at her curiously, "_is_ Cloud a good kisser?"

* * *

><p>When it came time for Cloud, Zack and Aerith to leave for the party, Tifa had decided to tend to her bar and say hello to regular customers to show that she had not dropped off the face of the earth.<p>

Dressed in a sleeveless black top and black skirt, she waved goodbye to Zack and returned Aerith's hug before she glanced at Cloud. She caught his eyes for a moment but before she could smile at him he looked away. The corner of her mouth tugged down in a frown and she glanced at Aerith who only smiled and pulled Zack and his observing (and nosy) eyes towards the car that waited for them outside.

Cloud was looking at the floor, his expression distant as he seemed lost in his thoughts. He blinked and then looked at where Aerith and Zack left, taking a step to follow them before he heard Tifa call out his name. He halted his movement, taking a sidestep to face her. His cerulean eyes slowly traveled up her figure before settling on her face.

A light blush dusted Tifa's cheeks from the look in his eyes. His eyes were half-lidded, giving him a hazy, almost dreamy expression.

Remembering she had called him and he was waiting for what she had to say, Tifa opened her mouth to speak, but found her throat growing dry as her mind drew a complete blank.

She ducked her head, feeling overwhelmingly shy, and peered up at him through her thick lashes. Cloud continued to stare at her, silent and patient.

"I…" she began before turning her attention to the floor. She fumbled with her fingers and wet her dry lips. "Have a good time," she mumbled, flashing Cloud a quick smile before focusing her eyes on the ground again.

She snuck a glance at him, seeing that his expression remained unchanged, at least to her eyes. In response, he merely nodded, then turned on his heel and left to the car.

Once out of sight, Tifa sighed, pushing the thought of what just happened to the back of her mind as she headed out the door for her bar moments later.

* * *

><p>Glasses clinked together as the guests laughed, smiled and talked amongst one another, filling the large room with idle chatter when Cloud, Rinoa, Zack and Aerith arrived.<p>

Rinoa's eyes were bright and her smile charming as she surveyed the room. "Wow! This is a lot nicer than the parties I remember!" She turned around and beamed brightly at the three. "Thank you for letting me tag along."

"No problem," Zack said, grinning back at her. "Any friend of Cloud is a friend of ours."

Rinoa smiled, her eyes taking another sweep across the room. She glanced at Cloud. "There's someone I want to say hi to," she said, taking Cloud's hand and tugging on it lightly. "Come with me! I want to introduce you."

Cloud didn't reply but Rinoa didn't wait for an answer. She began leading him through the crowd, pulling him along behind her. She zipped through people, muttering, "excuse me" as she passed through. Finally she stopped walking, releasing his hand. Cloud looked up to see her engulf a man in a tight hug.

"Uncle!" she exclaimed cheerily as the man twirled her in his embrace, resulting in his back facing Cloud.

"Rinoa! What a pleasant surprise!" the man said, placing his niece down a moment later.

_That voice…_ thought Cloud, feeling a sense of familiarity strike him.

Rinoa beamed before turning the man to face Cloud. "Uncle, there's someone I want you to meet."

Cloud's eyes widened.

"Cloud, this is my uncle, Gast Faremis."


	8. Falling

**Author's Note: **Sorry about the late update! I had a lot of it done but I was starting to get a little stumped with how I wanted the story to proceed. I have things laid out but it took a while for me to figure out how to connect the dots. It's getting better though. :) I hope you like the chapter! Please review to let me know what you think!

sumire syrup, thanks for your kind reviews kicking me into gear and making me finish this chapter. This is for you! :]

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing but the plotline.

_Warning: Chapter contains mature content._

* * *

><p><strong>The Risks of Gambling<strong>

Summary: [AU] Tifa didn't know she had a gambling problem until she staked her freedom… and lost. [CloudTifa] [ZackAerith]

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8 – Falling<strong>

_Uncle?_ thought Cloud, his cerulean eyes shifting between Gast and Rinoa.

A wide smile spread across Gast's features when his eyes landed on Cloud. "We've already had the pleasure of meeting," Gast told Rinoa, extending his hand as he and Cloud shook hands firmly. "Nice to see you again, Cloud. I'm glad you were able to make it." The older man looked around the blonde. "Where's Tifa?"

"Busy with other plans," Cloud responded. "She's sorry she couldn't be here tonight."

"I see, that's a shame," replied Gast, smiling again when his gaze fell on Rinoa. "So, Cloud, how did you make the acquaintance of my favorite niece?"

"Cloud and I met when we were children," Rinoa answered, falling into place beside the blonde. "I ran into him the other night and he invited me here."

"Is that so?" Gast said. "So Cloud was the boy you would always talk about when you came home."

Cloud glanced at Rinoa, seeing her cheeks become slightly pink. "Uncle!" she said, playfully hitting Gast on the shoulder.

The man laughed heartily at his niece's antics. "Well, seeing that you two already know each other, I won't need to warn you about Rinoa's charm," Gast said, winking at Cloud.

"Gast!"

The businessman glanced to his left, seeing Zack and Aerith approaching them.

"Zack! There you are," Gast said, shaking his hand. "How's that golf swing of yours coming?"

"Better, thanks to your help," Zack replied with a wide grin. "We'll have to go golfing again so I can show you my improved technique!"

"I look forward to it!" the older man answered.

Zack wound his arm around Aerith's waist, pulling her to him. "I'm sure you remember my beautiful girlfriend Aerith."

"Of course," said Gast, smiling kindly at the lovely brunette, shaking her hand as well. "It's a pleasure to see you again, Aerith."

"Thank you for having us again," she said, giving him a radiant smile. "Your parties are always so lively and fun."

"I'm delighted you enjoy them," answered Gast. Then he returned his attention to his niece. "Rinoa my dear, how long have you been in town? I wish you had given me more notice, you know I look forward to your visits."

She smiled sheepishly, tugging at stray strands of her brunette hair. "I was going to call you! But you know how I get sidetracked easily…"

Her voice trailed off as Cloud watched her, studying her features. Her words were beginning to get jumbled together.

_She always had a habit of talking fast when she got excited, _he thought to himself. A moment later it occurred to him—he just remembered something about her, a fact he recalled from when they were young, from his childhood.

His eyes narrowed somewhat. Rinoa was still talking animatedly to Gast, and her eyes flickered over and met his for a moment. Her smile widened slightly, then she looked back at Gast and continued talking.

Seeing her smile, a flash of the little girl's face came to mind.

_Could she be the same girl?_

* * *

><p><em>The following morning…<em>_**  
><strong>_

* * *

><p><em>Musical laughter filled his ears as Cloud jumped off the tree he had climbed, landing against the soft grass below. He sat down cross-legged as he laid down several apples he had plucked from the apple tree.<em>

"_Yay! You did it!" squealed the little girl beside him. He followed the sound of her voice, turning his head to look at her face._

_That same bright, cheery smile was plastered on her face, but now the rest of her face was filled in for him to see. Light ivory skin coupled with wide brown eyes and long brown hair. The same features as Rinoa. _

_She took an apple from the pile in front of Cloud and took a hearty bite that sounded as a loud crunch. _

"_I'm glad you remembered," she said. Cloud gave her a puzzled look to which the girl beamed even bigger at him. "That apples are my favorite!" she added, taking another bite. _

_The little boy nodded and offered a small smile. He reached for an apple and took a bite as well as the two children ate the fruit in content silence. _

* * *

><p>Voices from another room drew Cloud out of his slumber. He sat up slowly, leaning back against the headboard of his bed with one leg bent as he rested his elbow against his knee.<p>

_The girl,_ he thought to himself, rubbing his eye with the palm of his hand. _It was Rinoa I've been dreaming about. It was her all along. _

He pushed the covers off of him, swung his legs over the bed and stood up. He walked down the hallway, stopping when he reached the door of Tifa's room. It was creaked a little open and he peered inside. She was sleeping soundly, her face nestled comfortably against the pillow.

Cloud gently opened the door a little wider, quietly walking inside. When he stood beside her bed, he watched her for a few moments, silent.

Tifa sighed contently in her sleep before turning on her side, her hair falling gracefully over her face and shoulder as she moved. Cloud was still for a few moments before he raised his hand and lightly brushed her hair out of her face, letting his hand comb through her silky brown tresses.

With her eyes still closed, a smile spread across Tifa's lips. Cloud felt his stomach churn seeing her face so comfortable and peaceful.

_If the girl was Rinoa, why did Tifa feel so familiar?_ the blonde wondered, his hand falling back to his side.

Suddenly he heard soft laughter from what seemed to be the kitchen. He looked at the door, then gave Tifa one last glance before quietly leaving the room. He headed towards the kitchen and stepped inside to find Zack and Rinoa sitting at the table, talking to one another. Rinoa was holding a cup of coffee, listening to Zack as he spoke to her.

When Cloud entered the room, Rinoa glanced at him. Her eyes darted to his bare chest (as he was only wearing boxers) before she looked at his face and smiled. Zack followed her eyes and greeted his friend as well.

"What are you doing?" Cloud asked, focusing his attention on Zack.

"Zack invited me over for some coffee," Rinoa answered, taking a sip of her drink.

Cloud's eyes didn't shift from his friend. "Zack."

The raven-haired man gave Rinoa a charming grin. "Excuse us for a minute," he said, standing up and walking to the next room as Cloud followed.

"Could you be any less hospitable?" said Zack, his voice lightly scolding. He eyed his colleague's clothing, particularly his lack thereof. "Can't you go put on some clothes? At least a shirt and pants. We have a guest visiting, Cloud."

The blonde ignored the comment. "Why is she here?"

"Why do you think she's here?" Zack replied. Cloud gave him a pointed look. "Why didn't you tell me she's Gast's niece?"

"I didn't know," the man replied.

"Don't you see what this means, Cloud? We have an advantage over the other companies now! All you have to do is ask Rinoa to convince her uncle to give us the Jenova project rights—"

"No," Cloud interrupted, scowling.

Zack narrowed his eyes. "Why not?"

"I didn't invite her to the party to use her to get to Gast," Cloud answered.

"Then why did you bring her?"

Cloud remained silent. He took a step out of the room, leaning towards the kitchen to glimpse what Rinoa was doing inside. Aerith had entered the room and the two women were happily chatting over coffee. Seeing this, Cloud went back to the other room with Zack, looking at his friend.

"She's the girl from the dreams I've been having," Cloud muttered.

Zack raised a brow. "The girl you can't stop thinking about?"

"Yeah."

Zack leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms over his firm chest. "No wonder you're so protective of her. But you're being too protective, Cloud. It's hindering your judgment. If you guys were close when you were kids, if she's that same girl you were always talking about when I first met you, I'm sure she'd be willing to do you a little favor—"

"I won't ask her to do that, Zack," the blonde stated. "She'll get the wrong idea."

"No she won't! It's coincidence, that's all."

"No."

Zack got up from the wall. "Well, I don't need your permission."

Cloud narrowed his eyes, his voice low in warning. "Zack—"

But the raven-haired man already walked passed him and was heading back towards the kitchen. Cloud followed him, but by the time he got to the next room Zack was practically done talking.

"So, Rinoa, what do you say? Could you help us out?"

Rinoa glanced from Aerith to Zack to Cloud. "Let me get this straight," the woman began, "you want me to convince my uncle to give you guys the rights to some project? Over all the other companies? Why?"

"Basically, if we don't get the rights, Cloud and I will lose our jobs," Zack answered. He grinned at her. "Normally we wouldn't do this, but we're a little desperate."

Rinoa looked at Cloud. "Is that true, Cloud?"

The blonde avoided her eyes and looked to the corner. "Yeah."

"If you guys need it that badly, I'll see what I can do," she replied, smiling at the pair.

"Great!" Zack exclaimed, walking to her and shaking her hand eagerly, beaming at her. "Thanks a lot, Rinoa. We appreciate it."

She returned his smile with one of her own. "It's not a problem."

Zack could feel Cloud's eyes boring holes into his back. He grinned cheekily at his friend before taking Aerith by her hand and leading her out of the room, mumbling how they have things to do far, far away from Cloud. Zack and Aerith said their goodbyes to Rinoa before he dashed out of the kitchen with his girlfriend in tow.

Cloud's eyebrows were furrowed as he watched Zack leave the room. He took a seat beside Rinoa, mumbling, "Sorry about that."

She tilted her head to the side. "About what?"

"About Zack. It was his idea, not mine."

"What, to talk to my uncle? You don't need to be sorry. Did you think I'd think you were just using me or something?" Cloud stared at the table between them, silent. Rinoa smiled, leaning over to place her hand over his and giving him a reassuring squeeze. "It's not a problem, Cloud. Really. If it'll help save your job, I'm happy to help."

He glanced from her face to the hand on his. She brought her hand back to her coffee mug a moment later.

"Besides, I don't really need to say much to my uncle. He called me this morning talking about you guys. He really enjoys your company, you know. He says you remind him of himself at your age." Rinoa took a sip of her coffee and leaned back against her chair. "But anyway, enough about that." She dismissed the topic with a wave of her hand, then smiled knowingly at Cloud who looked back at her calmly. "Zack tells me Tifa recently moved in."

Cloud thought of Tifa's peaceful, sleeping face. "Yeah."

Rinoa grinned at him. "Things are getting pretty serious then, hm?"

He looked at Rinoa's face. "It's not like that."

She laughed. "Come on, Cloud. I'm not naïve."

"You have the wrong idea."

She lifted a delicate brow. "Oh? What is she to you, then?"

His mouth set in a thin line, his eyebrows furrowing together in contemplation. He dropped his gaze to the table before lifting them back to Rinoa's face a moment later.

"She's just a business colleague," he answered.

Just then Cloud heard a shift of movement behind him. He looked over his shoulder and his body stiffened when Tifa entered the kitchen mere seconds later. His eyes traced each of her movements, trying to decipher if there were any signs she had heard what he just said.

Her long hair was slightly tousled, a sign that she had just woken up. She smiled a sleepy smile and greeted Rinoa but, Cloud noticed, she never said a word to him, let alone acknowledged his presence with a glance.

"Good morning Tifa," Rinoa replied with a genuine smile on her features. "Did you have a nice sleep?"

"I did," Tifa replied merrily, pouring herself a cup of coffee. When she finished she turned to face Rinoa and beamed another smile. "Thanks for asking."

Then she took her leave, brushing by Cloud as the blonde watched her walk out of the room. Rinoa's eyes darted between the two until Tifa was out of sight in the hallway. She turned to Cloud, leaning towards him slightly and lowering her voice.

"Does she know that?" she asked.

Cloud was still looking towards the hallway. "Know what?"

"That you're just business associates." Rinoa leaned back against the chair, adding, "Because last I checked, business associates didn't hold hands."

Cloud turned around, sitting straight in his seat, silent.

* * *

><p>Zack was whistling a soft tune as he strolled down the street casually, hands in his pockets. It was a beautiful, sunny day as a soft breeze rolled by.<p>

His feet came to a stop when he reached his destination—Gast's abundant home. Being the gregarious man Zack is, he mingled with enough of Gast's colleagues to be invited to social gatherings with them, which is why he was currently at Gast's house, to play a friendly game of poker with the fellas.

He passed through the gate and began heading down the pathway to the front door when he noticed a familiar brunette leaving the house. He lifted a brow and blinked his ocean blue eyes.

"Tifa?" he said aloud.

The brunette looked up, her eyes falling on Zack as she gave him a small smile. "Hi, Zack."

"What are you doing here?" he asked. "Cloud was asking where you went. You left so suddenly this morning."

At the mention of the blonde, Tifa crossed her arms and raised her nose high in the air. "Why does he care where I'm going?"

Noticing the abrupt change in tone, Zack blinked his eyes, his expression puzzled. "Whoa, where's this coming from?"

Tifa tilted her head down, looking at the ground. "Nowhere," she sighed. "We're just 'business associates,' he said it himself. Why should he need to know where I am every second of the day?"

Zack scratched the back of his head. "Uh… I don't know," he responded lamely. He never did understand women and their constant mood swings. "Look, I don't know what Cloud did or said, but don't take it too personally. He tends to say the wrong things, but it's because he doesn't know any better. He's not really good at communicating with people. In fact I have a theory the Mako injection screwed that part in his brain too."

"Too?" asked Tifa. "What do you mean 'too'?"

"Well, I'm sure Cloud's told you about our Mako injection, right?" He leaned towards Tifa and opened his eyes wide, pointing at the brilliant blue color swirling in his irises.

"Yeah, it was to improve your eyesight," she replied.

"Exactly. And it worked for both of us. But a few days later, Cloud had a weird reaction to it. To this day we don't really know what happened."

"What was the weird reaction?"

"It affected his memory," Zack answered. "He can still process memories and everything, but ask him something from ten years ago or his childhood and he can't recall a thing. He says he can get little fragments—a voice, some flowers, something small—but he can't piece together anything."

Tifa's mouth tugged down in a frown. "That's horrible."

"Yeah, he was pretty upset about it at first. He kept bugging Sephiroth, our boss, for a cure, even if it risked losing his eyesight. Cloud insisted that he lost something important with those memories, but he couldn't remember what it was. I think that was the worst part for him. But the point of my story is that I think the Mako injection affected some of his social skills, too. They weren't the best to start with but he became a little more agitated after the injection." Zack watched Tifa process the new information in her head. He waited a few moments, then spoke again. "Look, Teef, whatever Cloud did to piss you off, you should talk to him about it. He's pretty oblivious to these kinds of things, but we love him anyway, right?"

Tifa sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I guess I may have overreacted."

Seeing that Tifa was still slightly upset, Zack put a hand on her shoulder. When she glanced up and looked at him, he grinned at her.

"Hey, no need to worry about this now! Why don't you come and play poker with us?"

Tifa blinked her brown eyes. "Oh, I don't want to intrude—"

He scoffed loudly. "Forget all that! Gast enjoys your company and so do I. Come on, it'll cheer you up!"

She mulled the idea in her head for a moment. Then she smiled brilliantly at him. "Thanks, Zack."

* * *

><p>Hours later, Zack and Tifa stumbled through the front door with Zack's laughter echoing in the home.<p>

"Did you see Clark's face when you called out his tell?" He laughed loudly. "I've never seen someone turn red so fast!"

"I hope he isn't too upset," replied Tifa, smiling nevertheless. "But no one favors their right ear_ that_ much."

Zack snickered. "I'm sure his pride is too hurt to be mad at you, Teef—"

"Where were you?"

Zack looked at the new voice, grinning widely at Cloud as he slacked an arm around Tifa's shoulders. "We were playing poker!" the cheery man replied. "Tifa here's amazing! We killed them!" Zack and Tifa gave each other a high five. "You picked a real winner, Cloud!"

"You went with Zack to Gast's poker game," Cloud said, locking his eyes on Tifa who looked away from him.

"Yep, she's definitely coming next time," Zack said, letting go of Tifa's shoulders and stretching out his arms as he yawned. "What a day. I'm going to go lie down." Before he left, he glanced at the brunette who looked back at him. "Don't forget to talk with Cloud about whatever's bothering you, okay?" He brought a hand to his mouth and mouthed, "He's a little slow."

Tifa gave him a small smile and he winked at her before patting Cloud on the back and leaving the room.

Cloud watched his friend leave the room before turning his attention back to the brunette. "Why didn't you tell me where you went?"

She shrugged, starting to walk towards the hallway to her room. "It didn't cross my mind."

He watched her walk pass him before his feet followed her to her room. She walked to the front of the mirror, her back to him as she brushed her long brown hair.

"Tifa," he called. "Are you all right?"

She continued brushing. "Why do you ask?"

"You're avoiding me."

She put the brush down, turning in her seat to face him. Her eyebrows knitted together. "_I'm _avoiding you? You're avoiding me! You haven't been able to look at me and you look uncomfortable to be around me. Then Gast says you brought Rinoa as your date yesterday?" She huffed and threw her hands up in the air. "But what should I care, right? We're only 'business associates' after all!"

He lowered his head, his voice quiet. "You heard that."

She frowned. "I wish I hadn't." She stood up and walked to him, her eyes holding hurt as she looked at him. "How could you say that, Cloud?" He didn't answer. She looked down, mumbling, "After what happened in my bar, I thought…"

His eyes slimmed. "Thought what?"

"That… we were… I don't know," she whispered, her gaze wavering to the floor. Then she looked back at him, and the fire was back in her eyes. "It doesn't matter, anyway. Zack says that Rinoa is Gast's niece, so you don't need me anymore. Just do me a favor and leave me alone—"

She felt her back suddenly collide into her bed and his weight on top of her. It happened so quick she hadn't even noticed him getting closer to her. His hands moved from her shoulders to either side of her face, his knee nudged between her legs.

Once the shock went away, she squirmed underneath him, trying to escape out of his grip. When that didn't work, Tifa glared heatedly at him and pushed his shoulder.

"Get-off-of-me!" she grunted, shoving him with each word. But even with her strength he didn't budge, not even an inch. "Cloud!" she said, freezing when she met his stare.

His cerulean eyes were dark. The intensity scared her.

"You have no idea," he said, his voice low, husky. It made her shiver. "I avoided you to avoid _this_."

As if to make his point, his knee pressed against her center. Tifa gasped, but she didn't know if it was out of surprise or pleasure.

"After that night…" His hand reached up and groped her breast. Her body reacted and arched into his touch. "I knew I wouldn't be able to control myself."

"C-Cloud…" Tifa kept her eyes firmly shut before they snapped open when his other free hand replaced his knee and cupped her center. "N-No, please—"

But his finger already started rubbing the thin material of her panties before he added a second, then a third. And he was rubbing fast, hard—Tifa's hand clutched his shoulder as she felt heat pool in her cheeks.

She bit her lip hard, refusing to make sounds that conveyed her pleasure. He seemed to notice this as he rubbed harder and squeezed her breast tighter, his thumb running over the hardening nub.

He needed her to respond, to know he wasn't the only one who wanted this, fantasized of this moment.

Tifa felt her head becoming dizzy. The heat radiating off his firm body was overwhelming, suffocating her. With all her strength she tried to shove him off of her, but her strength was fading quickly with all his ministrations.

She refused to give in, trying to focus more on her anger than the pleasure. But Gaia, did he have to be so good with his hands?

Her body certainly thought so as it began to squirm beneath him, her hips moving up and down adding to the friction of his fingers.

"Tifa," he rasped, his voice deliciously husky. "Tell me you want this." He could feel her wetness drenching her panties, but he needed to hear her say it. His hand released her breast, pushing her shirt up. When she made no move to stop him, he pushed up the cups of her bra as well. "Tell me you need this—" his lips enveloped her rosy peak, sucking hard. He felt her hand sink into his hair, gripping the spikes tightly. "—as badly as I do."

His words shocked her, but her mind was too consumed with lust to react. Her skirt bunched around her hips and her thumb hooked into the waistline of her lacy white panties, slanting them over one side of her hip. Cloud's other hand stopped rubbing and tugged on the other side until her underwear rested against her thighs.

Then her hand grabbed his and brought it to her wet folds, and when he pressed his digits against her, her body shuddered lusciously. He felt her cream trickling down his hand, licking his upper lip at the sight. His finger slowly traced around her entrance, his eyes dark and focused on her face.

It was just like his dream, only it paled in comparison to the real thing. Her eyes were shut tight, hair sticking to her face. Her chest rose and fell with her heavy panting. Her rosy cheeks and parted pink lips… she looked heavenly.

"Tifa," he said. She didn't respond, only shut her eyes tighter. He lifted his hand and brushed the hair away from her damp skin. The tender act made her snap her eyes open and look at him. Her teeth sank into her lower lip and Cloud inwardly groaned at the sight. "Don't close your eyes."

His pushed his finger inside her and when her glossy lips sprung open he muffled her gasp with a hard kiss. He gnawed at her lips, his tongue tasting every part of her sweet mouth. She met his ferocity with her own, sucking his tongue and biting his lower lip.

He pulled away and growled as he pumped his finger inside her core. She was warm, deliciously tight—her muscles clenched around his finger perfectly.

The tightening of his pants was incredibly painful but he restrained himself. When he will have her, it will be in his bed, and he'll go slower and make her remember every touch and kiss and consume her in her own pleasure so she'll be begging for release.

Whimpers tumbled out of Tifa's mouth as her arms clung to Cloud's neck. His mouth traveled from the side of her face down her neck, licking and sucking. She moaned his name when he added a second finger, biting her lip when he set an unruly, uneven pace.

White hot heat curled in her stomach as her hips met his thrusting fingers. He tongued her nipples, making erotic circles around the pink buds as he began to thumb her clit.

Tifa gasped and choked for air. She could barely handle all the sensations he was giving her. Her voice was beginning to feel hoarse with how much she chanted his name.

She closed her eyes, embarrassed at how easy she succumbed to his touch. She hated that she was so easily affected, enchanted by him. But she couldn't deny that she did want this. Ever since that fateful night in her bar, she wanted this. She wanted him touching her and making her breathless with need. And this realization saddened her because she knew she would want more, and she hated the uncertainty of whether he wanted more too.

"Tifa."

Suddenly she hated her name.

"Tifa."

She turned her head to the side, away from him.

"Look at me."

She kept her eyes shut.

"Look at me, Tifa."

She refused, because she knew if she looked, just one look—

He added a third finger and rubbed her clit hard. He moved his fingers wildly inside of her and the sensations rode up and down her spine.

She felt his hand on the side of her face, turning her to face him.

"Look at me," he murmured quietly.

And she did. Slowly her eyes opened, meeting his. His face hovered over hers, incredibly close. She could see the bright glow of his eyes as they looked into hers. There was something in his brilliant cerulean eyes, something she'd never seen before.

"Don't close your eyes." His hand caressed the side of her face. "Look at me."

Then she felt it. The intoxicating high as her body arched up, pressing against his as she cried out, feeling waves of bliss consume her. As her juices spilled into his hand, he kept fingering her, gradually slowing his pace but never looking away from her eyes.

She breathed hard, trying to catch her breath. Her shaky hand rose and palmed his cheek as he stared at her.

She knew, she knew that when she looked, just one look—

She would fall. Deeply and madly.

And she did.


	9. Mistakes

**Author's Note: **An early update! Huzzah! (And long Author's Note! Huzzah!)

I've noticed a pattern that whenever there's an "adult content" section in my chapter I get significantly more reviews than if it's a chapter without adult content. This highly amuses me. You guys are such smut lovers. :) I hope you like the chapter!

Leave reviews please! My favorite reviews are ones that actually review the content of the chapter. Examples of these are reviews left by **sunflowerspot, SapphyreMyst** (who even offered constructive criticism!), **sumire syrup**, and **xXAsuka-chanXx**! Not that I don't mind the succinct and to the point "Update soon!" review but it's nice to know you guys are paying attention to every little word I write. Thank you very much all of you for your continued support of my story! :)

Also, please don't hate on Cloud. I'm not trying to make him the antagonist of this story hahaha! I tend to get reviews where you guys are mad at Cloud or just downright hate him for what he's done. He's a special case but he really does mean good at heart. I can't just have Tifa and him be completely in love without some development, right? Because the other way is not realistic and I'm aiming (or attempting) for realism! Hope this chapter demonstrates some of that!

I sincerely hope you like the chapter. I kind of know where I'm taking the story, kind of… does that guarantee faster updates? Perhaps. But um, I hope this chapter makes sense. Feeling a bit self conscious about it… hehe.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing but the plotline.

_Warning: Chapter contains mature content._

* * *

><p><strong>The Risks of Gambling<strong>

Summary: [AU] Tifa didn't know she had a gambling problem until she staked her freedom… and lost. [CloudTifa] [ZackAerith]

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9 – Mistakes<strong>

When the door closed behind him, Cloud heard a wolf whistle by his side. He glanced to his right to find Zack leaning against the wall, shirtless and clad only in a pair of loose black pants. His arms were crossed over his muscular chest as he grinned wickedly at Cloud.

"Well, sounds like everything between you two is _more_ than okay now," Zack said with a mischievous twinkle in his ocean blue eyes.

"Not now, Zack," Cloud muttered with narrowed eyes, walking down the hallway towards his room. His friend followed him, snickering behind.

"You ought to be thanking me!" Zack exclaimed. "I'd say you owe me one, but when Tifa got a little noisy, Aerith got a little…" he chuckled and winked, "well, let's just say excited." Humor and pride danced in his eyes. "You forgot how much this house echoes, didn't you?"

He looked at Cloud, who remained stoic to his teasing. The grin fell from his face as he approached his longtime friend, patting him on the shoulder when he noticed how stiff his posture was.

"Come on, Cloud, you know I'm just teasing," Zack said. "What's the matter? From the way it sounded, I thought you two worked everything out."

"She's leaving," Cloud muttered.

Zack blinked, confusion etched across his face. "What? Why?"

Cloud fell silent, recalling what she had said.

* * *

><p><em>The tips of her fingers lightly stroked the side of his face, trailing down from his spiky hair to his cheek and along his jaw. Her eyes were heavy-lidded but they were open, looking into his. Finally.<em>

_He told her numerous times to look at him as he pleasured her. Told her so many times because he wanted her to recognize it was him bringing her over the edge, to sweet release. No one else. Just him. _

_Only he could touch her like this. Make her feel this way. As her soft hand caressed his cheek, he leaned into her palm. Though he wasn't one for human contact, he liked her soft, warm touch. Craved it even. _

_When Tifa's hand fell to the bed and she looked away, turning her head away from him, his eyebrows furrowed together._

_What she said next made his chest tighten._

"_Please… get out." _

_He blinked, and his eyes narrowed as he frowned. "Tifa—"_

"_Stop." His stomach clenched painfully when she looked at him, rich brown eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Cloud… I can't. I can't do this. I want to go home." _

_He was baffled. Had he done something wrong? Did he cross a line? She never pushed him away, never told him to stop. Why was she saying this? _

_Her lower lip trembled as she looked at him. His hand was still against the side of her face. He brushed his thumb against her cheek._

"_I don't want to do this anymore," she whispered. "I can't take it." _

"_What are you talking about?" he asked, his eyebrows scrunching together. He was trying to hard to understand what was running through her mind, but nothing made sense. _

_She breathed a shaky breath. "I'm not…" she looked directly to his eyes. "I'm not some toy you can use then dispose of." _

_His eyes darkened. "You aren't a—" _

"_You don't need me," she said. "Rinoa is Gast's niece. Have her get you the rights to the project." Her eyes pleaded with him. "Let me leave. Let me go." _

"_I don't want Rinoa," he said, his voice almost urgent. "I want _you_." _

_Her eyes fluttered, her lashes wet with tears. "Please…" she gently pushed him, and he leaned back, sitting on his calves. She fixed her shirt, pulling her underwear back up her thighs, brushing down her skirt. Then she stood up, her back facing him, a fist clutched against her chest. "I don't want to be here anymore. I don't want to do this. Let me go. Please?"_

_His head tilted down, focusing on the empty space of the bed. "Is that… what you really want?" _

_She bit her lip and nodded. "Yes." _

"_Why?" He looked at her, and she made no move to answer him. His fist clenched at his side, frustrated at her silence. "We had a deal." _

"…_I'm sorry," she whispered. She walked into the bathroom without looking back. Cloud heard the door close, then the lock turned and the shower turned on._

* * *

><p>"Cloud…" Zack mumbled, speechless at what his friend had told him. He searched for something to say, but nothing came to mind.<p>

"Don't," Cloud said.

He walked to his closet and retrieved a black jacket, shrugging it over his shoulders. He picked up the keys to Fenrir that lay idle against the nightstand beside his bed.

"Where are you going?" Zack asked, watching him with skeptical eyes. "You aren't going to do something stupid, right? Cloud? Cloud!"

The blonde ignored his friend, heading out the house, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

><p>When Tifa finished her shower and stepped out of the bathroom, she was both relieved and sad to find Cloud not waiting in her room for her to finish. Relieved, because she didn't know what else to say to him, but sad, because he wasn't waiting to fight and demand an answer from her.<p>

A heavy frown tugged on her lips as she thought about what she had said to him. She felt horrible for saying it, even worse for the way he reacted. But even if she explained her reasons, he'd probably find her weak, pathetic.

When he said he wanted her, it made her heart swell with pain. He wanted her. Just wanted.

She didn't just want him. She was already starting to fall for him. His gorgeous blue eyes that she could get lost in, his spiky hair that was actually very soft, his warm touch that sent shivers up her spine, the way he looked at her that always made her suddenly self-conscious and made her stomach flip…

She knew the longer she stayed around him, the harder she'd fall. And when it all came to an end, when Gast would give Cloud and Zack the rights to the project, her end of the bargain would be fulfilled, and she'd no longer be needed.

What other reason would she have to see him? Sure, maybe she'd be around a little longer because he wanted her, but after he'd have his way with her, then what? She'd still want to see him, but he'd be satisfied with his needs and would cast her aside.

If she left now, she could save herself from more of the hurt she was already feeling. Out of sight out of mind. Sure, he wanted her now, but maybe after a few days or weeks, he would forget about her. It would almost be like they never met.

And she'd rather pretend they never met than deal with the ache stinging her heart.

She quickly gathered her things together and packed. She knew she didn't have the heart to say goodbye to Zack and Aerith and thank them for their kindness and hospitality. She figured Cloud could explain why she left without saying goodbye, and even if it made her look bad, she couldn't bear facing them.

Once she gathered all her things, she stuck her head out in the hallway. She glanced around, not seeing Cloud, Zack or Aerith. She quickly hurried to the front door, leaving the mansion and heading towards the street where she hailed a cab.

"To Seventh Heaven, please," she told the driver, giving the mansion one last glance before the car drove away.

* * *

><p>Fenrir sped down the streets so fast everything was a blur around him.<p>

The wind running through his hair and clothing, the roar of the bike, the vibration from the engine—everything felt surreal around him.

He wasn't just angry, he was confused. He had no idea why Tifa was rejecting him and pushing him away. But if she wanted space, he was going to give it to her.

The motorcycle skidded as it came to a stop. Cloud rested his foot against the ground before hitting the kickstand. He pocketed the keys and walked to the entrance, knocking so hard on the door he was practically pounding it.

A butler opened the door, eyeing Cloud suspiciously before holding his nose high in the air. "Faremis residence. How may I help you?"

"Rinoa. Is she here?" It never occurred to him how heavy he was breathing until he spoke.

The butler looked at Cloud warily. "Sir, are you all right—?"

"Cloud?"

The man looked over the butler's shoulder to Rinoa, who looked back at him with concern on her features.

"Is everything okay?" She looked at the butler. "It's okay, Lee. Let him through."

The servant stepped aside and walked back into the house.

"Cloud, what's going on?" Rinoa asked.

"I need to talk to you," he said, stepping inside.

"Is something wrong?" she asked with a frown. She stepped back when Cloud stepped forward, and they repeated this pattern until her back hit the wall. He gripped her arm, and she winced at how tight his hold was. "Cloud—"

Before she could say more, he pressed his mouth against hers harshly, slanting his lips over hers. Her hand gripped the front of his shirt, releasing it when he pulled away. Her eyes fluttered open, feeling a little dizzy.

"What…?" she mumbled.

"Ten years," he began. "Ten years of working, climbing up the ranks."

"Cloud, what are you talking about?"

"All that work, it was for you. All for you, to be good enough for you." Her eyes widened. His gaze never wavered. "I've made a name for myself. Now, we can be together, like we wanted when we were children."

Rinoa stared at him, stunned. "You… did all this, for me?"

Cloud nodded, leaning closer towards her. "Everything. So I could be worthy enough for you."

He didn't miss a flash of pain in her brown eyes. "Oh, Cloud…"

He frowned. "What? What's the matter?"

"I wish you had told me this sooner…"

"I'm telling you now. What difference does it make?"

"A huge difference," she said. She lowered her gaze, staring at the floor. She inhaled slowly, then released a shaky breath. "I'm…" she lifted her hand to his face, where a beautiful diamond ring adorned her ring finger. "I'm engaged."

Cloud felt his heart pulse against his ears as his cerulean eyes widened. A thick silence settled between the two, and for several moments, time seemed to stand still. Rinoa avoided Cloud's prodding eyes, ashamed, as Cloud continued to search her eyes for any hint of deceit.

"…Since when?" he murmured.

"Since last year."

"Who is he?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Who is he?"

"Cloud, just forget it—"

"I'll find out whether or not you tell me."

Rinoa let out a shaky sigh, trembling slightly herself. "His name is Squall. There, happy now?"

Cloud fell silent, his mouth set in a thin, hard line. "Do you love him?"

"What?"

"Do you love him?"

Rinoa forced herself to look at him. "Yes. I love him very much, and he loves me too. He makes me happy."

Cloud's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Why didn't you tell me this?"

"Why didn't you tell me how you felt all those years ago?" she retorted, her face flushed in anger.

Cloud scowled. "How could I, after your father called me scum?"

Rinoa's eyes widened. "What?"

"Don't pretend like you don't remember. You were there."

Rinoa squinted her eyes. "What are you talking about? My father was in Europe when we were children. He was never in town when I knew you."

Cloud didn't answer, instead his eyes searched the floor as confusion settled in his features.

Rinoa's eyes softened. "Cloud… do you have me confused with someone else?"

The blonde stayed silent for several moments. "…It was in the meadow. Your father found us in the meadow we met at everyday—"

"We never met in a meadow," Rinoa said. "It was under an apple tree. I always found you there, picking the freshly fallen apples. Don't you remember what I said when we first met?" She watched Cloud lift his eyes to hers. "I said, 'You're the boy that saved my life.' Because you did, remember? When I was nine years old…"

* * *

><p>"<em>Hey, give that back! It's mine!" cried Rinoa, reaching for her doll that three older boys kept out of her grasp.<em>

"_Make me, pipsqueak!" shouted one of the boys, dangling the doll in her face before snatching it away when she would reach for it._

_Angry tears formed at the corner of Rinoa's chocolate brown eyes as she jumped and fought in vain to get her favorite doll back. Coming from a well-off family, Rinoa knew she could have easily bought a hundred more of the doll she was fighting for, but it was the doll her father had given her before her parents left on her business trip overseas and she wanted it back._

_Rinoa huffed angrily, jumping to reach the doll, and when she couldn't reach it, she would pound her small fists on the boys' chest and demand they give it back to her. _

_The boys cackled at her attempts. "You want your little doll back?" they asked tauntingly. When Rinoa answered, they said, "Then go get it!" and lunged the doll towards the busy street._

_Rinoa's eyes followed her doll fly in the air before it landed in the middle of the street. She dashed after it, kneeling down as she scooped it back up in her arms. She patted down the doll's hair tenderly, oblivious to the oncoming car heading towards her._

_She heard a blaring horn and turned, seeing the massive vehicle quickly approaching her. She gasped and froze, petrified, as the car's headlights flashed, blinding her—_

_A hand yanked her arm and pulled her body along with it, just narrowly missing the car. She landed hard against the concrete of the sidewalk, oblivious to the throbbing pain she felt in her legs and the soreness her arm felt from the forceful pull._

_Her body trembled as she stared ahead of her, her gaze vacant. A little blonde boy's face came into view, a few inches from hers, with bright blue eyes that captivated her._

"_Are you all right?" he asked, his voice a blur to her ears at first. It took her a few moments to realize what he had said._

_Rinoa slowly nodded, despite the fact that she was still shaking. She looked down to her hand that had the doll in a vice grip between her fingers. Her knuckles were pale white and her hand was shaking from clutching the doll so tightly. _

_When she lifted her eyes to where the little boy was, she was surprised to see he was gone. She blinked and looked around her, seeing no sign of him as he was lost in the crowd surrounding her. _

* * *

><p>"You saved my life that day," Rinoa said, a small smile gracing her features at the fond memory. "I looked everywhere for you until I found you that fateful day under the apple tree."<p>

Cloud's gaze was empty, lost in his thoughts.

"I thought you were the love of my life. I was devastated when I got enrolled in boarding school because that meant I wouldn't be able to see you anymore. But looking back on it, I was just infatuated with the boy who saved my life. I remember I tried so hard to get your attention, but your attention was always elsewhere." A bitter smile played across Rinoa's lips. "I saw you with another girl once, when I was looking for you. The way you looked at her… I always dreamed you'd look at me that way too. She must be the one you're talking about, Cloud. Not me. I could understand why you'd get us confused, though. She looked just like me—same brown hair, brown eyes, light skin."

"Is that all you remember about her?"

"Yes. I only saw her once, and I was focused more on you than on her."

Seeing Cloud become absorbed in his thoughts once more, Rinoa placed a tender hand on his shoulder. He flinched at the contact, then looked at her.

"I hope you find this girl, Cloud. And when you do, don't let her go."

* * *

><p>Aerith's sweet laughter filled the room as Zack pinned her down to the bed, straddling her hips as he tickled her ribs. The beautiful brunette tried to push him away between her fit of giggles but easily lost her strength due to her constant laughing.<p>

"Zack! Zack—stop—it tickles!" she giggled, squirming beneath him.

Zack grinned widely and playfully, chuckling to himself watching her laugh. Gaia he loved this woman. He had come to her worried about Cloud, and as usual she knew exactly what to say. Cloud knew better than to do anything reckless, because according to Aerith, Zack had "taught him better than that."

He had felt a little better, but Aerith wasn't pleased with the small smile he gave her. So she wrapped her arms from behind around his waist, only to tickle his stomach a moment later. And Zack, being the playful, competitive man that he is, couldn't let her get away with that! He was the tickle master, and he had a reputation to uphold!

"Z-Zack! Please!" she gasped between breaths.

His grin grew wider as he leaned his face towards hers. "If I do, what will you do for me?"

"A-Anything!" she laughed.

"Anything?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow mockingly. He finally stopped his tickling hands, instead gripping her hips tightly as he leaned forward, pressing his upper body against hers. He watched her flushed face as she caught her breath, her brilliant emerald eyes that he could look at all day glancing back into his.

"Yes," she breathed before giving him an angelic smile.

A low growl sounded from his throat and Aerith felt her face grow warm with the way he was looking at her, like a predator about to devour it's prey. His arm snaked beneath her, placing a palm flat on her back as he lifted her up, meeting her lips with his as he slanted his mouth over hers.

She smiled into the kiss, running her hands through his soft raven hair as he groaned in appreciation. When her lungs burned for air, she pulled away, laughing softly at the pouting look he gave her.

His face brightened seeing her laugh. Her happiness was his. He reached up and caressed the side of her face, brushing his thumb against her soft skin.

"What is it?" Aerith asked.

"I love you," Zack said, grinning a wide, toothy grin.

He had said it before, but that didn't stop the flutter her heart did whenever he told her. She smiled and pushed up, giving him a sweet kiss. "I love you too," she murmured against his mouth.

His eyes seem to glow at her reply as he kissed her again, this time deeper as his tongue dipped into her mouth. She pulled on his hair when he bit her lip and tugged on it as he pulled away.

His head dipped lower, tracing over her jawline before leaving open-mouthed kisses against her neck. She moaned as one of his hands made small circles with his fingers against her hip, the other reaching up to cup her clothed breast.

Her back arched as he fondled her, and he felt his pride swell when he heard her breathy whimpers as she turned her head, giving him more access to her neck which he greedily took.

He began kissing along her collarbone when he felt her small hands tugging at the hem of his shirt. He grinned lopsidedly at her before pulling away.

"Handsy today, aren't we?" he snickered, peeling the thin fabric of his shirt away from his body before he hovered over her again.

He saw her lick her lips at the sight of his bare chest, resulting in a haughty smirk. After all, him and Cloud didn't visit the gym for nothing. She ran her hands along his taut muscles and her touch sent pleasurable chills throughout his body.

One of her hands snaked to the back of his neck, pulling him down to her lips. He grinned into the kiss—he always loved it when Aerith got aggressive in bed.

_Ring~!_

The sound of the phone ringing caused Aerith to pull away, turning her head towards the direction of the sound. Zack remained blissfully oblivious as he tackled her neck with more kisses, sucking at her pulse point. Another moan escaped her lips before she squeezed his shoulder tightly to get his attention.

"Zack…"

"Mm?"

"The phone…" She gasped when he ground his hips into her. Her body shuddered.

"Let it go to voicemail," he mumbled, pushing the skirt of her dress up as it gathered around her hips.

_Ring~! Ring~!_

She bit her lip when he fell back on his shins, pressing kisses and leaving gentle bites on her inner thighs before settling his head between them.

"But what if…" she began, gripping a fistful of his thick raven hair when his fingers pushed aside her panties, "what if it's important?"

She felt heat flood to her cheeks when his tongue started licking. Her ankles pressed into the bare skin of his back as she moaned loudly.

_Ring~! Ring~!_

"Zack…" she said breathily, tugging on his hair. He hummed something in reply, but it didn't stop his skilled tongue from running up and down her center before laying his entire mouth over it and sucking. "What if it's Cloud?"

His tongue circled her clit before he pulled away, using his arms to push himself up and look at Aerith. She blushed darkly seeing the lower half of his face smeared with clear liquid. He licked around his mouth before wiping it with the back of his hand.

_Ring~! Ring~!_

"Cloud never uses his phone," Zack pointed out. Aerith glanced between his face and the phone. He sighed, using one hand to reach for the phone as the other busied itself between Aerith's legs.

She felt her face flush even redder when his fingers rubbed against her while he simultaneously picked up the phone.

"Hello, Zack speaking," he said as his thumb and forefinger tugged on her clit.

She gasped and whimpered, clutching the bed sheets beneath her. How could he sound so nonchalant on the phone while he pleasured her?

"Gast! Always a pleasure to hear from you. How are you?"

He nodded, listening to the other man speak as he brought his other hand back to his mouth, sucking on his fingers hungrily (as Aerith bit her lip tightly at the sight) before placing his hand back to her warm center.

He didn't waste any time pushing two fingers to the knuckle inside of her. Aerith smothered her mouth with her hands to quiet her moan. Seeing this, Zack smirked.

"Oh, Aerith? She's good. Actually, she's here if you'd like to say hello—" He chuckled when he felt sharp pain in his arm following where Aerith had slapped him. "No? You sure? All right, I'll give her your regards."

There were more murmurs on the other line, but Aerith could barely focus when Zack began fingering her with an unruly tempo, opening his fingers like scissors and curling them inside her.

"Tomorrow? Yeah, I'll give Cloud and Tifa the message." He grinned again when Aerith clutched his arm tightly, her nails digging into his skin. "Of course Aerith and I will be there! Okay, see you then. Have a good one."

With that, he placed the phone back on its hook and leaned over his girlfriend's face.

"_Now_ you can scream," he said, chuckling when she smacked his arm again.

* * *

><p>Cloud couldn't believe it. Worst of all he felt like an idiot.<p>

Rinoa. Engaged.

How could he not notice the ring on her finger? Well, he hardly looked away from her face. The way she talked to him, smiled at him—so friendly, charming—it never once crossed his mind she was taken.

His stomach churned uncomfortably. Tifa rejected him, pushed him away. He went to Rinoa blindly seeking comfort but in the end she did the same.

Not only that, but he was wrong. She wasn't the girl from his past. She was a girl, but not _the_girl.

He gripped the handle of Fenrir tightly, his hand clenching in anger. That damn Mako injection. He'd rather have poor eyesight than be lost in the hellhole of his memory.

But despite all that happened, he was certain about one thing. The promise he made, the one he had forgotten until now, was to work hard and make a name for himself. So he could give the girl everything she deserved, and be worthy enough for her with approval from her loved ones.

Up until now Cloud was fixed on the idea that Rinoa was that girl. So he lied and told her Tifa was just a business associate, when he knew deep down she was something more. Something special.

But he promised himself for the girl. Promised himself he would be with her when he was good enough for her. He wasn't going to break a promise he made ten years ago for anything, not even Tifa.

But now he was alone. Left Rinoa with a bad impression and Tifa wants nothing to do with him.

Eventually Fenrir's engine died down as he stopped in front of a house. It wasn't very big, humble in size, but Cloud didn't mind. It was his childhood home.

He was determined to find anything he could related to the girl. He figured the best place to start would be where he grew up. Maybe there was a letter, a picture, anything that could tell him who the girl was.

Without Tifa, he had no distractions. And to fill the empty void caused by her leaving, he needed to find the girl now more than ever.

The roar of Fenrir's engine died to a hum as he stopped when he reached his destination—the home he grew up in. It was small, barely the size of his room back at the mansion. But size never meant much to Cloud, then and now.

After placing the bike on it's kickstand, he walked towards the entrance and opened the front door. No one lived in the house anymore, and the sight before him accentuated the fact. The house was full of dust and cobweb so thick you could see the dust particles hanging in the air.

He coughed and brushed the dust away from his eyes. He scanned the small abode, looking at all the old boxes of junk that littered the floor. After clearing the dirt away from them, he tore them open and began digging through each one, searching for anything—a shred of a letter, a journal, a photo, anything that could give him insight into who the girl is from his past.

He wasn't sure how long he had been looking, but he was sure a considerable amount of time had passed. And in all the time, he hadn't found anything. Not even a clue.

The frustration was building with each box he pushed away, and when he finished going through the last one, his aggravation hit his peak. He shoved the final box away, a heavy scowl settling in his features as it crashed into the wall, making a small _thump_.

He slumped to the floor, leaning his back against the cabinet as he rested an arm against his bent knee. He pressed a finger to his forehead, closing his eyes as he tried to think of anywhere else he could possibly search for a clue.

His eyes opened slightly, leaving his gaze half-lidded, but it was enough to notice something white from the corner of his eye. He opened his eyes fully and followed the white speck.

It was a corner of a paper sticking out from underneath the fridge towards the back. He leaned over and reached for it. He struggled at first considering the size of his arm was larger than the space underneath the fridge, but eventually he grabbed the paper and pulled it to him.

He turned it over, seeing that it was a photo. The color was worn and the paper itself torn, but the main subjects of the image—a boy and a girl—were still clear on the photo.

He quickly recognized the boy in the picture to be himself, with his younger self donning a shy smile with an incredibly red face. Based on his appearance, he seemed about twelve in the photo. The girl beside him was in a pretty white sundress, her arms around his neck as she smiled brightly to the camera.

When his eyes moved to her face, they lingered there, memorizing each of her features. Then his eyes widened significantly. The girl… she had a striking resemblance to—

He pocketed the photo and dashed out of the small house, kicking the kickstand up on Fenrir and turning on the engine. When the bike roared to life, he sped down the streets, knowing exactly where he needed to go.


	10. Revelations

**Author's Note: **I love my reviewers! All the reviews last chapters were long! Actual paragraphs! I loved reading every single word! You guys are amazing. I love you all! :)

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing but the plotline.

* * *

><p><strong>The Risks of Gambling<strong>

Summary: [AU] Tifa didn't know she had a gambling problem until she staked her freedom… and lost. [CloudTifa] [ZackAerith]

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10 – Revelations<strong>

"Knock knock!"

Tifa just finished sorting one row of new stock from inventory boxes when she glanced at the visitor standing in the front door.

"Rinoa? What are you doing here?" the brunette asked with an arched brow.

"I wanted to say goodbye," Rinoa explained with a smile.

"So soon?" Tifa asked.

"I've never been one to stay in one place for long," the girl replied with another smile. "I already said bye to Zack and Aerith. It took me a while to find you, Tifa! I thought you would be with Cloud."

Tifa looked away, tucking an idle strand of hair behind her ear. "I was never 'with' Cloud," she admitted quietly.

Rinoa lifted a brow. "What are you talking about? You two were together when I first found you guys, and according to my uncle you two are always together." She studied Tifa's face, noting how the brunette avoided her eyes. Rinoa tilted her head. "If that's not being 'with' him, what were you to him, then?"

Tifa fell silent, wondering the idea herself. She tugged the bottom of her vest, fidgeting nervously.

Rinoa spotted a small silver glint from her neck.

"What's that?" she asked, voicing her wonder aloud.

"What?" answered Tifa.

"That pendant. The one around your neck."

Tifa tugged the necklace out from her black vest, revealing it to be a ring with a wolf symbol on it connected to a chain.

"That wolf…" mumbled Rinoa. "That's the symbol for the exclusive private boarding school, Highwind prep."

"How do you know that?"

Rinoa grinned. "Because my fiancé went there!"

"Fiancé?" Tifa repeated with an arched brow.

"You must be Tifa Lockhart from the Lockhart foundation!" Rinoa said, smiling to herself for figuring that out. "You were born with a silver spoon in your mouth." Tifa averted her eyes and Rinoa smiled again. "Why are you running a bar when you have more than enough money to never have to lift a finger?"

Tifa remained silent for a few moments before relenting, deciding she should explain herself. "My parents used to always twist my arm that I could never survive without their money. Yet here I am, doing just fine."

Rinoa smiled. "Ah, I see. And you knew being with Cloud would get you media attention that would prove you're doing well."

Tifa felt her face redden. "That—That's not—"

"Of course it wasn't," Rinoa said, smiling knowingly. "Does Cloud know?"

"Know what?"

"That you're secretly loaded."

Tifa looked away. "No. No one knows."

Rinoa nodded. "I see. Well, they won't hear it from me." She glanced around Tifa at the clock, noting the time. "Well, Tifa, I have a train to catch." She smiled and gave Tifa a hug, which the girl returned. "It was nice meeting you!"

Tifa waved, smiling. "See you around."

Rinoa beamed. "Count on it." She began to leave before she stopped at the doorframe and looked over her shoulder. "Take care of Cloud for me. He's got a good heart, but I don't need to tell you that, do I?"

She turned around and left before she could notice the smile fall from Tifa's face.

When Rinoa was out of sight, Tifa turned back around. _Cloud has a good heart?_ she mused in her head. She almost wanted to laugh bitterly at the statement. Her heart still ached at the mere mention of him, she couldn't imagine how she'd react if she were to see him again.

Behind her, she heard the bar door open and a few footsteps step inside. _Rinoa probably forgot something_, Tifa thought, plastering a smile on her face as she turned around once more.

"Hi Rinoa, did you forget something—?"

Her body froze, her blood ran cold. Her breath hitched in her throat and her eyes widened.

There, standing in her doorway, was none other than Cloud himself.

She couldn't believe it. Or maybe she just didn't want to.

What was Cloud doing here, in her bar, of all places? Didn't she make herself clear when she asked—or pleaded—to leave her alone?

At the sight of him, all her feelings came rushing back. His hair looked slightly disheveled, his clothes a little dusty. His face looked worn and tired but his eyes still held a sharp intensity that made her heart race when she looked into them.

She felt her throat dry, at a loss for words.

He remained silent too, unmoving, as if he was taking in the sight of her. Then one foot took a step forward, followed by the other, until he was standing arm's length away from her.

Her eyes were wide, almost doe-eyed, and as he approached she instinctively backed away, shrinking back into the counter. She watched with a wary gaze when his hand dug into his back pocket, and she blinked when he took out a thin paper and handed it to her.

Her eyes flickered from the paper to his face. His face was stoic, but his eyes held an unreadable emotion. Hesitantly she reached for the paper, lightly grasping it and bringing it closer to her face.

She turned it over, and her eyebrows scrunched together when she saw it was a photograph. A boy and girl. The boy was a cute blonde with a beet red face, while the girl… Tifa squinted her eyes and brought the image closer to her face. The girl looked strangely familiar…

Suddenly, her mouth fell open, gaping as her heart skipped a beat.

"Where did you get this?" she whispered, slowly raising her eyes to meet his.

"I made a mistake," he began. "I thought Rinoa was the girl from the dreams I told you about. The girl from my childhood, who I always met in a meadow. Everything matched until I mentioned that her father had called me scum."

Tifa flinched. "No…" she murmured.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," he said, taking a step towards her, "because it was your father."

Her eyes were wide, her body trembling. Cloud's gaze remained fixed on her, never wavering.

"You're the girl. The one from the dreams. The one from my past."

Suddenly, the memories crashed into her mind.

* * *

><p><em>When blue eyes fluttered open, seven year old Tifa beamed brightly at him.<em>

"_Morning, sleepy head!" she said cheerily, bending over him with her hands on her knees._

_Cloud lazily rubbed one of his eyes, yawning. When his gaze cleared, a small blush dusted his cheeks._

"_Whatcha doin'?" Tifa asked with genuine curiosity in her pretty brown eyes._

_Cloud scrambled to his feet, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. "S-Sorry, I didn't know—"_

"_What are you apologizing for?"_

_Cloud shrunk away. "You're not… mad?"_

"_Why would I be?" Tifa asked, raising an eyebrow. _

"_This meadow…" he glanced at the large house hidden behind the thicket of trees. "Doesn't it belong to you?"_

_Tifa shrugged. "I'm not allowed to be this far from the house. But I've seen you here a few times." That made Cloud's face even redder, but Tifa didn't notice. Instead her eyes drifted to the pile of apples lying not to far away from him. "Are those yours?"_

_Cloud blinked, nodding tentatively. _

_Tifa grinned at him. "Can I have one?"_

"_Um… okay."_

_The little girl cheered, plopping herself behind him as she took a hearty bite into the apple. Her face scrunched up in delight as she sighed contently._

"_Thanks! Um…" She took another bite, swallowing before asking, "What's your name?"_

_Cloud shyly tugged at the blades of grass beneath him. "I'm Cloud."_

_The girl beamed at him. "I like you, Cloud!" He looked at her and she smiled even brighter. "Will I see you here tomorrow?"_

_He eyed her cautiously. "You're not going to tell on me?"_

"_Why would I tell on you? You're my friend!"_

"_Your friend?" Cloud repeated, more to himself than to her. His gaze wavered to the grass before he glanced at her again. "But… I don't know your name…"_

"_Tifa," the brunette answered. "T-I-F-A. Tifa." She stood up, finishing the apple as she brushed down the skirt of her dress. "So I'll see you here tomorrow, right, Cloud?"_

_His wide blue eyes looked into hers before he nodded slowly._

"_Okay! Bye!" She waved enthusiastically before skipping away, humming contently to herself. Cloud watched her leave, blinking his eyes before a small smile made it's way across his face._

* * *

><p><em>When she heard footsteps to her left, thirteen year old Tifa immediately turned her head, grinning widely at the sight that met her.<em>

"_You came!" she cheered._

_Cloud gave her a shy smile in return, holding in his arms a fresh pile of apples. She pushed herself to her feet, running to meet him. When she reached him, she scowled playfully._

"_You're late," she said, crossing her arms grumpily._

_He laughed nervously. "Sorry. The good ones were really high today. It took a while to get them."_

_She eyed him up and down before her frown broke into a cheery grin. "I forgive you!" she chirped, helping him set down the pile of apples before handing him one. He mumbled a thank you and she nodded as she bit into the fruit._

_The two had begun to meet once every week for the past few years. Sometimes it would be two, three or even four weeks before they saw each other again, but the young brunette was adamant about making sure they'd continue seeing each other, because he was the exception to her scheduled lifestyle, a person she could always be herself around and not constantly prim and proper._

_When Tifa finished her apple, she stood up and stretched her arms. "I know! Let's roll down the grass hill again!" When Cloud gave her a disapproving look, she blinked. "What?"_

"_Your dress."_

"_Yeah?"_

"_It'll get dirty again."_

"_So?"_

_He frowned. "You'll get in trouble."_

_She scoffed, crossing her arms. "I don't care!" She tugged on his arm. "Come on! Let's go!"_

_He pulled away from her tugs. "I don't want you getting in trouble."_

_Tifa sighed heavily, looking down at the light blue sundress she was wearing. "I don't even like wearing this!" she said. "My mom says I have to 'coz that's what 'good girls' do."_

"_I'm sure it's not that bad," mumbled Cloud._

_Tifa wrinkled her nose. "Oh yeah? How would you like having every day scheduled, always having to look nice and proper and 'remember your curtsy Tifa' and 'chew like you have a secret Tifa' and ugh!" She pulled on her hair in frustration._

_Cloud's eyebrows furrowed together. "But you're rich."_

_Tifa made an unladylike snort. "If that matters to you so much we should trade places." She sighed and sat down beside him, drawing her knees to her chest. "I always have to do what I'm told, I never get to do what I want… except when I'm with you."_

_Cloud tilted his head. "Really?"_

_She tucked her chin to her chest, using her hair to hide the blush on her cheeks. "Yeah… I like it when I'm with you. We always have fun. And," she took another apple, passing it between her hands before she smiled at him, "you always have yummy apples!"_

_Cloud's face flushed, sheepishly rubbing his hair. "I like being here too," he mumbled._

_She sighed heavily, scooting an inch closer to him. "I wish we could stay like this…"_

_Cloud looked up at the clear blue sky. "I'm not going anywhere."_

_She smiled. "Good."_

* * *

><p><em>A few weeks later, her father had found her.<em>

_She was showing Cloud a high kick she had learned in martial arts class as he tried to emulate the kick._

"_Higher!" said Tifa. "You have to kick higher!"_

"_Higher?" Cloud replied, raising an eyebrow skeptically. "How can you kick higher?"_

_She giggled. "Higher, Cloud! You're not doing it right!"_

"_Tifa?"_

_The girl looked to her right, jumping when she saw her father sternly looking down at her with hands on his hips._

"_D-Daddy!" she gasped._

"This_ is where you've been sneaking off to every week?" her father scolded. "We told you never to go this far from the house." He glared at Cloud, who shrunk from his harsh stare. "And who is this? A boy from the village?" He sneered at the blonde. "Tifa, come here this instant."_

_Tifa's lower lip trembled, slumping her shoulders. She glanced at Cloud sadly before trudging her feet over to her father. _

_Her father gripped her upper arm tightly, his face stern. "You are not to continue seeing him, do you understand?" _

"_Why not?" Tifa whined._

_Her father laughed condescendingly, looking between Cloud and his daughter. "Tifa, look at him. The boy is scum, he's not nearly good enough for you, not even close—"_

"_That's not true!" Tifa shouted, pulling herself out of her father's grip. "Don't say that about Cloud! He's my friend! I like spending time with him!"_

"_Oh honey, you don't know what you like," her father replied.__"Now come, Daddy has a meeting with the president of Avalanche and he can't be late."__He grabbed her arm again, dragging her away as the girl struggled in vain to get out of his grip. After several hard tugs, she relented, looking over her shoulder sadly at Cloud._

_The boy watched her father take her away, feeling an odd hollow feeling at the pit of his stomach. He looked at his clothes, noting the simple t-shirt and jeans he wore. Nothing compared to the nice silk dresses and ribbons Tifa always wore. He knew he wasn't poor, but he wasn't as rich as she was either._

_Her father's patronizing voice echoed in his mind. He was scum. Worthless. How pathetic._

* * *

><p><em>The next day, Tifa found Cloud standing around, hands in his pockets as he idly kicked a rock.<em>

"_Cloud…?" she mumbled._

_He saw the unhappiness in her eyes, instantly knowing what she was going to say. "You're leaving," he murmured._

_She nodded, clutching a fist to chest. "Tomorrow. My dad put me in this boarding school in Europe. He thinks it'll help me forget about you. Ugh, sometimes he's just…!" She looked down, calming her nerves. "I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye."_

_He swallowed the heavy lump forming in his throat. He felt a strange discomfort stirring within him. "It's probably for the best," he mumbled. She frowned when he added, "I'm not good enough for you. You shouldn't be wasting your time with someone like me."_

"_You're wrong," she said. "Seeing you was the best day of the week. My dad doesn't know what he's saying—"_

"_No," he said quietly. "Your dad is right. We come from two different worlds. We could never be together."_

_His words hurt her. "I don't believe that," she whispered._

_He didn't answer. She frowned._

"_Cloud?" He turned his head slightly towards her, a sign he was listening. "I hope I can see you again one day."_

_He heard her footsteps against the grass as she walked away._

* * *

><p>Cloud studied Tifa's face, watching the recognition flash across her eyes.<p>

"The moment you told me your name, I knew something felt familiar. Didn't you feel that too?"

"A little bit…" she admitted, chewing her lower lip.

"Then the dreams started occurring more frequently. Now everything makes sense." He looked at her directly in the eye, taking another step towards her. "I am who I am today because of you. For you."

He frowned when she winced at his words.

"Did I… really mean that much to you?" she asked.

"Yes."

She looked away.

He mumbled, "You still do."

"Cloud…" she said, her voice shaking slightly. "I had no idea…"

His eyes narrowed when she still refused to meet his gaze. He reached out, grabbing her wrist. Her face turned to look at his hand, and when she finally looked at him, she looked pained.

"You never stopped thinking about me," she whispered, her eyes glistening.

"Never. Until that mako injection…"

She smiled sadly. "That's just it. _You_ never stopped thinking about me. But…" she lowered her gaze to the floor. "I'm sorry, you were just my friend. A friend from when I was little." She winced again when he let go of her wrist, his arm falling limply back at his side. "I had fun when we were young, but…"

His fist clenched at his side, turning his head away. "You said you wanted to be with me."

Her heart twisted painfully. "A lot changes in ten years."

"What about the past few weeks?"

He closed the distance between them, placing an arm on either side of her. He looked down at her, watching her teeth chew on her bottom lip restlessly as she avoided his gaze. She placed a hand on his chest to push him away, but she ended up feeling the pulse of his heart instead. She closed her eyes, turning her head away.

"Cloud, please…"

_Not again. I can't take it._

"The last few weeks. What did they mean to you?"

"Nothing…" her voice trembled.

"You're lying."

She forced herself to look at him. "You said we're just business associates. Remember?"

The back of his hand slowly caressed the side of her face. "I lied," he murmured. "Just like you're lying to me right now."

She exhaled a shaky breath. "What do you want from me?"

"The truth." He thumbed a locket of her soft brown hair. "Tifa…" He tilted his head, closing his eyes as he inhaled her sweet scent. When his eyes opened, his gaze was heavy, half-lidded. His brilliant cerulean eyes looked into hers, and her mouth parted with how close his face was to hers.

His gaze dropped from her eyes to her lips. He wanted to kiss her. But her body was trembling.

_What is she afraid of?_

He leaned forward, lightly brushing his lips against hers, watching her under hooded eyelids. Her hand clutched the front of his vest, her eyes squeezing shut. He pressed his mouth against hers, waiting for her to react, but she didn't respond.

He pulled away, and he noticed her cheeks had flushed pink, but her eyes remained closed.

"Tifa," he said quietly. "Kiss me."

"No…" she whispered.

He kissed her again, but her body remained still. "Kiss me," he spoke against her lips.

"I can't…"

She sounded like she was about to cry. He leaned back enough to see her barely open eyes watering, her head tilting down. A hand was clutched in front of her chest as her body quivered.

There was a painful clench in his chest seeing her look so sad. He hadn't meant to make her cry. His eyes lowered to the ground, turning his head away from her as he stepped back.

"…Fine."

He had spoken so quietly she barely heard him. She looked at him, and her heart hurt at the dejected expression on his face.

"Cloud—"

_Ring~! Ring~! _

Both of them glanced at Cloud's hip, where his cell phone rang loudly. The man avoided looking at Tifa as he dug his hand in his pocket, pulling out the mobile device. His eyes squinted at the name before flipping the phone open and holding it against his ear.

"What?" he said, his voice monotone. Tifa heard murmurs on the other line, quickly recognizing the loud voice to be Zack's. She wondered what he was telling Cloud as the blonde's face twisted, his eyebrows furrowing together as his eyes narrowed. "Tomorrow. He said that exactly. Are you sure? …No, it doesn't work. Because it doesn't, Zack." He grew quiet, eyes flickering over to Tifa for a second before looking away. "I know," he muttered before hanging up the phone and returning it to his pocket.

Tifa studied his face hesitantly, unintentionally flinching when his eyes finally met hers.

"Tomorrow Gast is having a party. He specifically requested you and I—"

"Cloud," she interrupted, her voice soft, her eyes sad. "I told you I don't want to do this anymore—"

"One more," he said. "That's all. It will leak that we will no longer be together. After I'll figure out something else. I'll leave you alone, like you want." She noticed something flicker across his eyes before they turned cold. "You owe me that much."

Her face softened before she shook her head. "I don't owe you anything."

"Tifa," he continued, before looking down. He quietly muttered, "I won't go without you."

The tone of his voice made her wonder if they were still talking about the same subject.

She knew it took a lot out of his pride to practically beg her to go with him. Her shoulders slacked, and she noticed she had stopped trembling.

"Just one," she said softly. She looked at him, meeting his eyes. "Then no more."

His gaze shifted from one brown eye to the other before he turned his head away and nodded. He turned to leave only to stop when he felt her hand on his wrist.

"Cloud," she said, and she watched him turn his head slightly over his shoulder, his brilliant cerulean eyes looking back at her. "I mean it. This will be the last time."

He looked ahead of him, his gaze turning half-lidded. "I know."

He pulled his arm out of her grasp and walked away.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Hello my lovely gumdrops! School's starting today (it's past midnight right now hehe, and yes my university starts late) so I honestly don't know when I'll next be able to update. :( I'll try working on it as much as I can!

I'm trying to work on an outline for the rest of the story. If you'd like to help out leave a review with possible ideas! This story is really close to ending, I think there will probably be two or three chapters left. I have events for the story that will happen, I just need to connect the dots between them.

Thanks so much for sticking around so far! I love each and every one of you! All your reviews bring the biggest smiles to my face. I honestly didn't expect this story to get this popular hehe. It's very flattering!

Anyway till next time! Hopefully that won't be too long C:

**Also my sister was a huge help for completing the chapter and with some parts before hand. Please show her some support and check out her stories too! Her account name is mauia88.**


	11. Surrender

**Author's Note: **Hi! Sorry for the late update, though I did say I would get busy with school. Anyway, the plot will be drawing to a close soon. Just a heads up. Thank you so much for all your support on this story!

Fun fact, it's my Grandma's birthday today. In honor of her 83rd birthday, here's a new chapter for you guys! :) Don't forget to review!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing but the plotline.

_Warning: Chapter contains mature content._

* * *

><p><strong>The Risks of Gambling<strong>

Summary: [AU] Tifa didn't know she had a gambling problem until she staked her freedom… and lost. [CloudTifa] [ZackAerith]

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 11 – Surrender<strong>

The room was quiet as Zack paced around, a hand tapping his chin as he lost himself in thought. Cloud sat against the edge of the bed, looking out the window with a vacant expression on his face. Aerith looked between the two, observing with her back against the wall.

"So… Tifa was the girl from your childhood?" Zack asked, watching Cloud give a hint of a nod in affirmation. "Tifa… no wonder her name sounded familiar when you first told me it. Of course then she was only the girl you'd met at the casino."

"What do you mean?" Cloud asked quietly.

"Well, it's obvious, isn't it Cloud? She was the girl you talked about nonstop when we first met! Tifa this, Tifa that, hell you kept chatting about her till the dead of the night up to the break of dawn. I knew she had to be someone special, and I was right as usual, eh?" He nudged his friend playfully. "Eh, Cloud? Ehhh?"

"That's enough teasing, Zack," Aerith said, lightheartedly rolling her eyes at her boyfriend's childish antics. She gave a breathtaking smile to Cloud. "I'm happy you finally found the girl, Cloud. Tifa really is something special."

He pointed his gaze to the floor, a strange expression on his face. "I know," he replied quietly.

Zack looked between Cloud and Aerith's smiling face. He leaned towards her, bringing a hand to the side of his mouth. "Aerith, check it out. Our little Cloudy's in love!" He grew serious when he saw the troubled expression on his friend's face. He walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Have you talked to her, Cloud?"

"There's nothing to say," the blonde answered.

"There's plenty to say!" retorted Zack. "If you tell her you worked your ass off for years for her, how could she not—?"

"I did tell her," Cloud said, his head hanging lower. "It didn't make a difference."

Aerith walked over to the blonde. "Don't let Tifa go, Cloud. If she means that much to you, you need to fight for her."

"How?" he asked, looking at the corner of the room. He mumbled, "She's pushing me away."

Aerith sighed. "Dilly dally shilly shally," she said, shaking her head. Cloud glanced at her. "She's only doing that because she's afraid to get hurt," Aerith added gently. "She needs to know you won't hurt her."

When Cloud fell silent, Aerith stepped in front of his eyesight, leaning down as she peered up at him, forcing him to look at her. "Cloud, she told me herself that she has feelings for you. And you care for her too, don't you?"

He looked away from Aerith, his cerulean eyes lowering to the ground. The lovely brunette looked at Zack, motioning with her vivid green eyes for him to say something.

The raven-haired man sighed, scratching his head. "Aerith's right, Cloud," he began before focusing his gaze on his girlfriend. "But I know it's hard for you. You're not the type to go around talking about your feelings." He folded his arms across his chest, looking back at the blonde. "But when it comes down to it, no one's a mind reader. If you want someone to know how you feel, you have to tell them."

Cloud remained silent, but Zack knew the words were sinking in.

"Even if she rejects you, at least you won't spend the rest your life wondering what could have been," the man concluded. "It'll suck, but it's not as bad as the fact that Sephiroth is still our boss, am I right?" Zack gave him a small joking grin.

Finally Cloud moved, turning his head to glance at the clock before standing up. "I need to go," he muttered, brushing past Zack and Aerith as he walked out of the room.

"Do you think he'll tell her?" Aerith asked.

Zack shrugged. "We'll see."

* * *

><p>Tifa placed the backing of her earring on before she leaned back to take in her appearance in the reflection of the vanity mirror. She knew in a few minutes Cloud would arrive, punctual as always.<p>

Anxiety rose within her as she waited for Cloud to pick her up for the final time. It felt strange, almost surreal. This was the last time he would come for her to take her to the lavish events she had grown accustomed to attending the past few months.

She stood when she heard a car pull up, gradually slowing to a stop. Walking outside, she watched the door open and Cloud step out, strikingly handsome as always as he wore a sleek black suit.

When Cloud glanced at her, he took a moment to take in her appearance. Her long, silky brunette hair cascaded down her back as she wore a scarlet red dress with thin shoulder straps. The deep V-neck cut of the dress revealed some of her ample cleavage as the fabric of the dress hugged the sinful curves of her hips, giving her an alluring hourglass figure. Her lips were ruby red, matching the color the dress, and she wore simple pearl earrings.

She looked breathtaking, as always.

Tifa blushed under the always-present intensity in his stare. She saw the familiar glint of desire flash across his vivid cerulean eyes before he tore his gaze away, opening the door.

Normally he would give her a polite compliment about how she looked, and she would smile and return the flattery. But she saw the stiffness in his posture, the way his eyes remained glued to the ground, forcing himself not to look at her. She ducked her head as she walked towards the car and stepped inside.

He followed suit a moment later, closing the door behind him, and uttering a quiet, "Go."

There was a tense silence as the car pulled out into the street. She could smell his nice scent, it seemed especially strong this evening. Normally his smell would be so pungent when he would be pressed up against her, his hands and mouth everywhere—

Her toes curled at the images playing out in her head. Tifa shook her head to clear her thoughts, curling her hands into fists and placing them in her lap. She snuck a glance at Cloud, finding him looking out the window, seeming lost in his thoughts. She mirrored his position, turning to look out the window as well.

The nightlights flickered across her face as the car drove down the streets.

"…What changed?"

She flinched hearing him speak, despite how quiet his voice was. She turned her head and looked at him, seeing him in the same position, looking distantly out the window.

"What?" she asked softly.

"What changed?" he repeated quietly.

Her gaze wavered to the floor, her head tilting down as her brown hair fell like a curtain around her, shielding her face.

"You want the wrong girl," she mumbled.

"What's wrong with you?"

Her heart fluttered at the question. She looked at him, finding him still looking out the window. She wanted so badly to relent and be with him. But in the back of her mind, Tifa couldn't help but doubt.

Cloud had thought so much about the girl he grew up with, never forgetting her, and doing all he could to remember her when his mind forgot.

She, on the other hand, had forgotten him within the year of leaving, being swept away by new places and meeting new people.

In the end, she was in love with the man he was now. He was in love with the girl she was ten years ago.

She glanced at him, then looked out the window, trying to hide the pained expression on her face.

"The girl you want…" Tifa continued, pausing to heave a sigh. "I'm not her anymore. She's the one you want, not me."

He was quiet for a long time, as though deciphering the meaning to her words. After a thick silence, he finally spoke again, barely above a whisper.

"You're wrong."

Her heart skipped a beat as she glanced at him. She only met his eyes for a second before he turned and opened the door, and moments later she was blinded by the flashing lights of the photographers.

She lifted her hand to shield against the light. She saw Cloud offer his hand to her, being the gentleman he always was, and she took it, ignoring the tingle that shot down her spine as he helped her out of the car.

She found herself having difficulty smiling for the camera, but Cloud didn't waste time lingering long enough to give them any good shots.

Once inside Gast's large house, the lively chatter from the party guests immediately filled the room. The room was crowded with a string quarter playing in the corner and a beautiful, expensive chandelier hanging from the middle of the ceiling. Servers walked around with trays of food and drinks as the guests conversed with one another.

The noise around her worsened Tifa's focus as she felt herself thrown into confusion. _"You're wrong,"_ he had said. She was wrong? Wrong to feel heartache when the man causing it did want to be with her?

Cloud began to untangle his arm from hers, but before he could leave she reached out and grabbed his hand. He stopped his next step but didn't turn around to look at her.

"Cloud," she said, her tone somewhat earnest. "Please. I'm confused."

He turned to face her, looking at her with those cerulean eyes she could never read. He stayed quiet, waiting as she gathered her thoughts.

"I just…" Tifa mumbled, lowering her head. "What are you saying?"

He glanced down to her hand, which still held on to his.

"I…" he began, his voice a low murmur. She could barely hear him over the chatter of the room. "I worked for years to get to where I am today. Not for this life, for these people—for you, to be worthy enough for you."

"For the girl from the past," she said, her eyes downcast. "Cloud, I'm not—"

"What are you afraid of?" he asked. Her eyes widened at the question. "I don't care if you've changed. It's only been you. It always has been." He turned his head away from her, avoiding her eyes. "There were others. But it wasn't the same. In the end… All I did was wonder where you were, what were you doing, how could I find you…"

"Cloud…" she said softly.

"Your happiness… that's all that matters. I will do everything I can to make you happy. To give you what you deserve. But if you don't want that…"

He withdrew his hand from hers, immediately missing the warmth of her touch.

"If you don't want that…" he repeated, mumbling, "I need to know. By tonight."

He didn't spare her a glance, turning on his foot and disappearing in the crowd.

Tifa never felt her heart beating so hard inside her chest. Her breaths were short and quick, and her cheeks felt flushed.

Suddenly the room felt overcrowded. Too little space, and the rush of emotions made her feel lightheaded, dizzy—

"Tifa?"

The brunette followed the voice, her brown eyes falling upon Aerith and Zack. A concern frown marred the former's face as she placed a gentle hand on Tifa's shoulder.

Zack's eyebrows furrowed. "Are you all right? You don't look too good."

"I just… I need some air," Tifa replied, squeezing through the party guests to head to the outside garden.

Zack and Aerith trailed after the brunette, joining her outside as Tifa took a few steady breaths.

"What happened?" Aerith asked.

Tifa remained quiet, staring at the ground. Zack blinked, turning to glance towards the crowd before returning his gaze towards the woman.

"This is about Cloud," he concluded.

Her face grew warm at the mention of the blonde's name. Seeing her reaction, Aerith and Zack glanced knowingly at one another.

"Did he say something to you?" Aerith asked.

Tifa glanced to the side. "Well… he…"

"Did he tell you how he feels?" Aerith pressed.

Tifa could feel her heartbeat quickening again as she nodded.

"Then why are you out here?" Zack asked.

"I just… need some time to think," Tifa mumbled.

"What's there to think about?" questioned Zack, scratching his head. "Cloud wants you, you want Cloud. Right?"

"It's not that simple…" the brunette muttered.

_Women,_Zack thought, sighing as he glanced towards Aerith to take over. She smiled at him, pressing a chaste kiss to his cheek before stepping towards Tifa.

"What are you worried about, hm?" asked Aerith.

Tifa looked away, tucking a strand of brunette hair behind her ear. "What if… What if I want more than he's able to give?"

"We make enough money to give you whatever you want," Zack interjected.

Aerith shot Zack a flat look. "That's not what she means," she said before turning to the brunette. "Tifa, Cloud is struggling with this as much as you are."

"I could count all the times Cloud has expressed his feelings on one hand," added Zack. "Hell, I don't even need all my fingers!"

"The point being," Aerith continued, "with Cloud… he means well. You just need to be patient with him. He's always had trouble letting people in."

Tifa sighed. "I know, I know… that's not the real reason I'm afraid. It's just… Cloud worked so hard for me, spending the last ten years climbing the ranks. What have I done for him?"

"You've helped us in securing the rights for the Jenova project," said Zack.

"That's nothing compared to what he's done."

"Nothing? You saved the job he worked so hard for! And come on Teef, he did it for you! Be the reward for all his hard work, 'cos trust me, he's earned it."

"It's not a competition," Aerith added gently. She caught a glimpse of spiky blonde hair from her peripheral vision, following the line of sight until her eyes landed on Cloud.

"Look at him, Tifa," Aerith said. "He can barely focus because of you."

Tifa followed Aerith's eyes, blinking when her gaze fell upon Cloud. The man stood amongst other sharply dressed guests, but his expression appeared distant, vacant. Then his eyes shifted, and her heart skipped a beat when she caught his glance before he hurriedly looked away, looking all over the room to avoid her eyes.

"He's probably going crazy wondering what you're going to do," Aerith said with a smile on her face. "Go ease his mind." She nudged her lightly with her arm.

"Tifa," Zack called, getting the girl's attention. "Cloud's never been one to come out of his shell. Just… don't hurt him, okay? If there's anything wrong, tell me. Just don't give him another reason not to trust people."

Tifa looked down, a thoughtful pause filling the air. Then she looked at Zack, giving him a breathtaking smile that instantly lit up her face.

"I won't."

* * *

><p>When Tifa reentered the ballroom full of lively guests, her brown eyes scanned the room for the handsome blonde. But whenever she'd catch a glimpse of him he'd disappear once again, and a part of her wondered if he was avoiding her because he feared her rejection.<p>

When a flash of blonde appeared in her peripheral vision, she followed it, finding him barely listening as a pretty girl chatted him up.

Nervousness set in the pit of her stomach, but Tifa summed up her courage as she approached Cloud and lightly tapped him on the shoulder. He shrunk away from the touch, glancing over his shoulder. When his eyes fell on her, his posture slackened somewhat as he turned to face her. The pretty blonde who had been talking to him didn't mind the attention shift as she conversed with another guest beside her.

"Hi," Tifa greeted, a small smile on her face.

Cloud glanced at her before looking down, at the ground, slightly turning his head away from her. His expression, along with his posture, was reminiscent of a shy boy. It reminded her of the Cloud she knew when she was younger, so timid yet genuine. The thought made her smile grow.

"I have an answer for you," she added. That caught his attention as his eyes (_such a deep blue_, she thought) finally rose to meet hers. "Cloud, I…" she began, licking her dry lips, "I want to thank you. You worked so hard, did all of this for me…" She reached over and took his hand, affectionately running her thumb over his knuckles. "I just want you to know I appreciate it. It's the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me."

Cloud's tense posture fell away following her words, and she was glad. She knew he must have felt very uncomfortable having left himself so vulnerable and she was more than happy to give him all the reassurance he needed.

"I'm sorry if I confused you at times, I'm not very good with saying how I feel either… but I am good on my word. That's how we got here, to this point, right?" She gave him a dazzling smile as Cloud studied her face, his eyes locked on her own. "So, if your offer still stands…"

When his fingers slowly wrapped around her own, she felt her heart swell with happiness. In that happiness she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

She could tell she caught him off guard when he flinched, but he instantly relaxed and responded. He placed his hand against the side of her face, keeping it there when she pulled away.

She laughed softly at her brashness. Cloud quietly looked at her, softly caressing the side of her face. Tifa held his wrist, leaning into his touch and giving him an angelic smile.

And slowly, he gave her a small smile of his own.

The string quartet that had taken its standard fifteen minute break resumed its playing, and suddenly the chatter in the room simmered down to quiet murmurs. Couples gathered in the center of the ballroom, standing close together as they began to sway in the elegant dance of the waltz.

Tifa's eyes lit up at the sight. She glanced at Cloud, tilting her head as she looked at him with a hopeful smile. He knew he could never deny her, so he let her lightly pull him to the center of the floor. She guided his hands on her waist and placed her own on his shoulders.

Cloud had never been much of a dancer, this much Tifa remembered clearly from their childhood. So she watched his feet, leading him for the first several steps and smiling at him when he picked up the steps quickly.

His head was tilted down, having been watching his feet as well, and when he looked at her and met her gaze, Tifa felt her heart flutter.

There was a pure gleam in his eye and his face, despite its sharp features, seemed soft, almost boyish.

It didn't need any words. She knew how he felt through the look in his eyes.

And slowly, a smile spread across her ruby lips. She felt lighter. Serene.

The hands on his shoulders slid towards his neck as she leaned against him. She nestled her head under his chin, closing her eyes.

Cloud smelled her sweet scent as he held her against him. Her skin was warm, her hair soft—everything about her was soft, genuine. And having her with him, feeling her against him… it made him feel peaceful. Content.

She was the most beautiful woman in the room. And he was finally worthy enough to have her. Finally.

Tifa smiled when she felt the strong hands on her hips tighten, gripping securely and possessively. Warmth radiated from his body, sending chills up her spine.

She leaned her head against his shoulder when she felt his thumbs slowly knead small circles against her hips. The small sensation electrified her senses. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she felt his light breathing against her skin.

They stopped dancing a few moments after everyone else, having been too consumed in each other to notice the song end. Another song soon began and the other guests began swaying once more.

Cloud brought his mouth against her ear. "Tifa," he murmured, his voice deliciously low.

She recognized the tone of his voice and smiled to herself. She lifted her head and whispered in his ear, making his eyes widen a fraction before he looked at her. She gave him a sly smile before loosening her arms from his neck and walking away from him towards the adjacent room.

_((clink clink clink))_

The echoing tap of silverware against glass caught Cloud's attention, looking at the source of the sound. It came from Gast as he stood high on the stairway that wrapped around the ballroom. Once all pairs of eyes focused on him, the party host cleared his throat, a kind smile spreading across his aged features.

"Friends, thank you for coming out today. As usual I appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedule to come together for these gatherings of mine."

Cloud's eyes shifted back and forth from where Tifa had disappeared and Gast.

"Now as you know," Gast continued, "I hold parties for a variety of reasons, but tonight there is a very special reason. You see, back when I first met my wife…"

Cloud slipped through the crowd, following where he had seen Tifa go. He found himself in the wide room next door, which was mostly empty aside from lavish paintings hanging on the walls. The area was dimly lit as the only source of the light was coming from the adjacent room.

Cloud scanned the room looking for the Tifa, only to see her emerge from the shadows moments later.

She approached him, standing before him. "Gast is making an announcement, you know."

His gaze never wavered from her. "I know."

She tilted her head, running her hands down his chest. "You don't want to listen to what he has to say?"

He eyed her from head to toe before returning his focus to her face. "It doesn't matter."

Her hands made their way back up, resting on his shoulders, her fingers pressing nimbly into them. "You should go. It sounds important—"

His hand grasped her chin, pulling her face to his as he pressed his lips firmly against hers. Her eyes fluttered before she closed them, leaning into the kiss. When he pulled away, both their eyes were half-lidded, almost dazed as they panted lightly.

A moment later they both drew together and crashed their lips against each other. Tifa wrapped her arms along his neck and Cloud locked an arm around her waist, pulling her flush against him. His tongue traced her sweet lips and she eagerly parted her mouth, meeting his tongue with her own.

His mouth slanted against hers, his other hand reaching up to her cheek as he angled her face against his. She moaned softly as his tongue ravished her mouth, dipping in and out and running along the rows of her teeth.

One of her hands lifted to his hair, fisting in the blonde spikes and pulling when he sucked her bottom lip. His other hand crinkled the fabric of her dress in his tight grip.

They both parted for air as Cloud rested his forehead against Tifa's. She laughed softly seeing her red lipstick smeared messily against his mouth. Using the pad of her thumb, she wiped away a smudge from the bottom of his lip, giving him a radiant smile that made his stomach churn.

His hand caressed the side of her flushed face, and she smiled seeing the raw affection in his dark cerulean eyes.

Her eyelids grew low as a sultry smile spread across her lips. She pushed him backward until his back met the wall and crushed her lips to his, pressing her curves against him as he immediately kissed her back hungrily.

* * *

><p>A fond smile spread across Gast's face as he spoke. "…When the project was done, I asked my wife what I should name it. She said it was up to me, being the creator, but I knew she loved the name Jenova, and had we been fortunate enough to have a daughter she would have named her Jenova. Since I had worked on the project so much it practically became my child, I decided to name it Jenova…"<p>

* * *

><p>His hands slid down her back before he grabbed her rear roughly, making Tifa gasp with pleasure. His hands squeezed the flesh tight as he shoved his hips against hers.<p>

"Ah, Cloud," she moaned throatily, clutching his hair when he ground his powerful hips against her. She closed her eyes, surrendering to the pleasure coursing through her.

She nibbled his earlobe, and when he groaned his appreciation it encouraged her boldness. She kissed his cheek before trailing kisses down his neck, flicking her slick wet tongue up his neck and along his jaw.

She loved feeling his hot pants against her ear, sending shivers throughout her body. He tilted his head back against the wall, his eyes shut tight as one hand gripped her hip tight, the other coming up to cradle Tifa's head against him. His throat bobbed against her lips as Tifa sucked on his neck.

* * *

><p>"…Now, as many of you know, the Jenova project can enhance genetics in revolutionary ways unlike the world has ever seen. When my wife passed away, my passion for the project died with her, and I almost scrapped it aside. However, I knew it was too innovative to simply toss away. Thus I announced I would be giving the rights away, and as expected, many companies coveted the rights…"<p>

* * *

><p>Tifa rested her forehead against Cloud's shoulder, breathing heavily as her shaky fingers reached for the top of his button down dress shirt. As she began unbuttoning the first few buttons, Cloud kissed along her neck to her shoulder before sucking on the skin there.<p>

After the first few buttons, Tifa growled her impatience and tore open the rest of his shirt, the buttons flying across the room. She licked her swollen lips as he kissed along her shoulder, sucking on the juncture where her neck and shoulder meet. She tilted her head, giving him more access to her neck as she ran her palms against his chest. His skin was searing, burning to the touch, but she loved the hard muscle she felt against her fingertips.

Her nails scraped down his torso, along the finely sculpted muscle, and he groaned into her mouth when she crushed her lips against his.

* * *

><p>"…But I knew out of all the companies, out of all the representatives who would sweet talk me and butter me up, there would only be one person to choose. There were times when I thought no one would be worthy. I wanted to find someone I could trust, someone who could take this project and use it for good, not for notoriety. Someone who would implement it the way Ifalna would have wanted it. But despite my doubts, today, before you all, I have come to a decision."<p>

* * *

><p>His hand ran slowly up the underside of her thigh, making her heart race. Cloud lifted her leg and Tifa jumped against him, wrapping both legs around his lean waist. His hands cupped her bottom as their mouths remained fused together, kissing so fervently Tifa felt her mind becoming cloudy with desire.<p>

"Tifa," Cloud said, his voice so husky and raspy it only turned her on even more.

She heard the need in his voice and bit down on her lip harshly, nodding furiously. "Yes," she moaned when she felt his arousal pressing against the thin fabric of her panties, grinding against the throbbing pressure, burying her head into the crook of his neck. "Oh Gaia, please—"

He shoved himself off the wall, reversing their position as he pushed Tifa against the cool concrete. Her legs dangled against his thigh propped between them as he pressed his body firm against hers. As he kissed her, his hand slipped from her hair to her full breast, squeezing tight. She gasped, arching against the wall as his other hand nudged between her legs, against her panties soaked in arousal.

When he pulled away from her lips, both their eyelids were heavy, eyes dark and clouded with lust. She grinded against his hand, moaning sensually from his touch. She kissed him hard when his fingers slipped beneath her lacy underwear and pushed deeply inside of her.

She moaned into his mouth, running her hands through his hair. He bit her lip, pulling away as she panted heavily. Their eyes met and a radiant smile spread across her lips as she swiveled her hips against his hand, coaxing his fingers deeper inside.

She pressed a palm flat against his warm bare chest, running her hand down until she reached the waistband of his pants. His eyes darkened as she kissed the corner of his mouth and slipped her hand inside.

Her small hand immediately gripped his hard length, stroking him rough and fast. Cloud sucked in a sharp breath before groaning deliciously low at the intense pleasure that shot through him. Tifa muffled her cry in his neck when he increased the tempo of his thrusting fingers.

His head tilted back, swallowing heavily with eyes closed as Tifa's hand worked against him.

It felt _so good, so good too good—_

She moaned his name against his ear, rolling her hips to meet his long fingers. Her hand pulled on the spikes of Cloud's hair, whimpering when his thumb rubbed her clit and his other hand massaged her large breast.

Her hand rubbed faster, and he met her increased speed with a wilder rhythm. She buried her face in his neck to muffle her cries; he bit into her shoulder to quiet his grunts.

It felt _so good, so good too good—_

She was close, and she knew he was too when his teeth dug deeper into her skin.

_Just a little more…_

"Cloud… I… I—"

"I love you."

Her eyes snapped open, widening—

* * *

><p>"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for. I hereby surrender the rights of the Jenova project to someone I believe is more than capable of handling the responsibility."<p>

Gast smiled, pride gleaming in his eyes as he scanned the room.

"Congratulations… Tifa Lockhart!"


	12. Exchanging

**Author's Note: **Happy New Year everyone! Wow, how time flies! Can you believe it's been a year already? Thinking about that, it's interesting to see how this story has progressed. When I first thought of this idea I never thought about actually writing it down, but then I did. I find it interesting the direction the story took. I never plan out anything I write from beginning to end so it's fun to see what the mind comes up with along the way.

Thank you so much everyone for your support, compliments and critiques of the story! This got more attention that I thought it would get and I'm glad to see you guys enjoyed reading as much as I did writing. It means the world to me so thank you very much! :]

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing but the plotline.

_Warning: Chapter contains mature content._

* * *

><p><strong>The Risks of Gambling<strong>

Summary: [AU] Tifa didn't know she had a gambling problem until she staked her freedom… and lost. [CloudTifa] [ZackAerith]

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12 – Exchanging<strong>

"_Congratulations… Tifa Lockhart!"_

Both Cloud and Tifa physically flinched, their eyes growing wide hearing the latter's name. Their labored breathing hitched for a moment as they both froze.

But Tifa was more in shock at what she may or may not have heard.

"_I love you."_

Her body shook from the adrenaline still coursing through her veins. "What…" she began, her voice breathless as she glanced up at him. "What did you say?"

She studied his face, but his gaze only flickered to her before he turned his head away.

Her attention was stolen when she heard thunderous applause. With the announcement, the two were brought out of their cloudy, lust-filled minds. When it registered in her mind what had actually been said, Tifa's eyes grew incredibly wide. A hot blush spread across her face realizing the position her and Cloud were in.

The first to move, she pulled her hand out of his pants, hearing him inhale sharply. She closed one eye and whimpered when he shifted as well, withdrawing his fingers from her.

From the other room, they could hear Gast's booming voice. "Tifa, come on up!"

Her heartbeat was painfully erratic. "Oh Gaia," she whispered, eyes incredibly wide. Her legs loosened against him and Cloud lowered her to the ground, his arms secure around her waist.

He panted softly, his warm breath fanning her skin. "You… need to go," he breathed, his voice gruff.

Mortification set in her features as she looked in his eyes, her palms flat on his chest. "Not… not like this!" she whispered, a hot blush spreading across her cheeks.

Her hair was tangled, her makeup a mess, her dress crinkled from Cloud's rough hands, her panties uncomfortably wet with subtle red blotches on her neck and shoulder from his harsh sucking and biting. Meanwhile, Cloud's shirt was ripped open with most of the buttons lying scattered across the room, his chest heaving with light red scratches across the skin from her nails with Tifa's lipstick smeared across his face and neck.

Her face drained in color, her body still shaking from the rush of adrenaline moments ago. "Oh no oh no…" she muttered, burying her face in his neck. She never thought she would find herself in this situation.

"Are you out there, Tifa?" Gast's echoing voice asked.

Cloud looked down to the woman hiding herself against him. "Tifa, you need to go."

She immediately shook her head. "I can't! Not in front of all those people!"

His eyes glanced to the side before returning to the top of her head. "I'll go with you."

"Cloud, you're in no condition to go anywhere!" A hot flush renewed itself on her face when her eyes trailed down his firm chest to the slight bulge still evident in his pants. "There's too many cameras out there! It's too embarrassing!"

He shifted his legs, grunting at the delicious friction against her smooth skin. "We'll have to come out sooner or later."

She pouted, looking up at the brilliant cerulean eyes she loved before sneaking a glance into the other room. The crowd was already murmuring to each other, probably making outlandish theories as to why she wasn't there or accepting the project rights.

"Do I have to?" she whispered, turning her head and resting her forehead against his collarbone. "I look like a hot mess."

He took her hand, giving her a reassuring squeeze. "You never look bad," he mumbled, looking away.

She lifted her head, giving him a dazzling smile. "Really?" she asked, her smile growing wider when she saw the faintest of blush on his cheeks. She lifted her hand, turning his face to her as she gave him a sweet kiss.

"Thank you," she whispered, pressing another kiss to his cheek.

She did her best to fix her appearance, using the subtle reflections offered from the clear glass that encased exquisite busts and sculptures. She combed her hair with her fingers, carefully untangling the knots. Her face matched the color of her scarlet red dress as she brushed her hair over her shoulders and in front of her neck, making sure to cover the small marks Cloud had unintentionally made. She could see his eyes silently watching her through the reflection as she composed herself.

Her heart skipped a beat when she saw him move, placing a hand on her arm. She flinched, only to release the breath she didn't realize she was holding when he pulled one strap of her dress back up her shoulder. She smiled in thanks, expecting his hand to retreat, but instead it lingered for a moment's hesitation. Then, with the tips of his fingers, his hand slowly trailed down her arm. Delicious tingles shot up her spine as another blush dusted her cheeks.

Her pulse quickened when she felt his arms wrap around her waist, his firm, warm chest pressing against her back. She swallowed uneasily; biting her lip and closing her eyes when he brushed her hair from her neck, placing a wet kiss there before making his way to a sensitive spot under her ear.

"Cloud…" she mumbled, sinking into his arms, feeling that uncomfortable heat in her body again.

His teeth nipped her earlobe before flicking it with his tongue, making her shiver. She made a small noise in the back of her throat, leaning her head against his shoulder. Her eyes fluttered open when she felt him shift behind her, placing his face beside her own.

"You look fine," he said quietly. More than fine—the sight of her made him want to have her breathless and pressed against him again. The way her eyes were glazed over, heavy-lidded and fringed with thick lashes, locking with his own through the reflection, her hair tousled and her tongue slowly wetting her lips, red and slightly swollen from his kisses—_fuck_.

He turned her around, his hand grabbing a fistful of her soft brown hair as his mouth pressed hungrily against hers. She squeaked at the intensity, grabbing the collar of his cutaway coat and eagerly obliging him as she parted her lips, letting his tongue tangle with her own.

He slanted his mouth over hers, his other hand on her lower back, crinkling the thin fabric in his tight grasp. Tifa pulled away from his demanding lips, her eyes still closed as his hand held her jaw and turned her face to the side, kissing her cheek and along her jaw.

"C-Cloud…" she panted, her hand tightly clutching his blonde spikes, "my dress—"

His eyes shut tighter, his eyebrows furrowing together as he forced himself away, loosening his hand from her hip. He cleared his throat, turning his head away from her as he lightly caught his breath.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

Tifa giggled at his bashful expression, her arms resting against his neck. "Don't be," she answered, giving him a glowing smile when his eyes glanced back to her. "I'm flattered."

His gaze fell before he looked to the side. "You should go," he muttered.

Her fingers played with the thin hairs at the back of his neck. "I'd rather stay here with you…"

He closed his eyes, her soft voice caressing his ears. "Tifa…"

She heaved a sigh, her arms loosening from around his neck. "I know, I know. Business first, pleasure later." A smile crept on her face at the glint in his deep cerulean eyes. She leaned up and kissed him soundly on the lips.

When she pulled away, her eyes fell on his mouth smeared red from her lipstick. She looked at him with a twinkle in her eye. "That shade suits you," she quipped, giving him a broad smile. A small chuckle escaped his throat, a rich sound she immediately loved.

She walked away from him, standing at the corner adjacent to the other room. She took a deep breath to steady her rising nerves. She glanced over her shoulder to Cloud who motioned with a nudge of his head for her to go on. She flashed him a nervous smile before heading out to face the crowd.

"Ah, Tifa, there you are! You had us worried! I thought you may have gotten cold feet," Gast said with a friendly smile as a couple of the guests laughed quietly. Then he turned back to the crowd. "Another round of applause, please, to the woman who I've bestowed my treasured project to!"

The claps roared once more, and Tifa smiled uneasily, tucking a strand of brunette hair behind her ear. She searched the sea of faces, spotting Zack's mischievous grin as he snickered behind his hand and Aerith smacking his arm before giving Tifa a kind, knowing smile. She could only imagine what was running through their minds.

In the back of the crowd, her eyes fell on Cloud who watched from behind the wall and gave her a nod. She blushed in embarrassment, knowing he stayed back because even with his suit closed, his toned chest was still exposed without the buttons to close his shirt.

She turned her head and looked at Gast, leaning over towards the man. "Gast, may I speak to you in private—?"

"Sure, sure, right after this," he replied.

"But it's—" Tifa began, but he turned away to face the crowd before she could finish.

Gast raised his hand to quiet the applause, which died down moments later.

"I'm sure most of you are wondering why I chose this young woman to receive the coveted rights," he began, looking at her and giving a smile. "Well, when I had first met Tifa, she had felt so familiar. I realized much later it was because she was Tifa Lockhart, heir to the Lockhart foundation fortune. I'd met her father years ago when I was still building up the reputation of my company, where I had briefly met his little princess."

Tifa smiled politely at his words, fidgeting slightly as she fixed her hair. Gast turned and looked at her, directing his smile towards her.

"Tifa, despite being blessed with wealth, you have grown into a wonderful, humble woman, touching the hearts of everyone you meet. Not corrupted with greed, I could think of no one better to have the rights to this project than you, and I trust it will be in more than capable hands. Congratulations."

Gast raised his glass as the room broke out into thunderous applause. After a few moments, Gast led Tifa down the grand staircase where a swarm of people surrounded her, asking many questions all at once. Her eyes flickered back and forth from face to face, giving each person a charming smile as she did her best to maintain a calm composure.

Cloud observed her quietly from a distance. He saw her eyes glance over to him a few times, silently imploring him to rescue her from the overwhelming situation. However he reluctantly stayed put. Though he wanted to help, he knew if he entered the crowd in his current state of dress, it would only add questions than answer them.

"Ahem."

Cloud blinked before turning his head, his gaze falling upon Zack giving him a wide, teasing grin that stretched ear to ear.

Zack mockingly stared at the blonde's chest, bare aside from the black cutaway coat over his shoulders. "I like the new look buddy, but it might be a little _risqué _for this type of event, don't you think?"

Cloud rolled his eyes and sighed, giving Zack a pointed look as the raven-haired man laughed at his response. He walked to Cloud, giving him a playful smack on the back.

"But in all seriousness, what happened to your shirt?" He picked up the white silk fabric, bringing it slightly closer to his face for better inspection. "It looks like the buttons were ripped—" he paused, his eyes widening in realization. "Oh. _Oh!_" He grinned wolfishly as Cloud gave him a glare that lacked in intimidation. "_Damn_, didn't think Teef was a wild one in the—"

"In the what, Zack?"

The man jumped, whipping around to find Aerith with her arms crossed across her chest. "In the… in the—well, you know! Look at his shirt Aerith!"

Her green eyes fell on Cloud's chest before glancing to the buttons lying scattered across the floor. Then a bright smile filled her face as she looked at Cloud, her hands coming together in a single clap.

"I'm so happy for you!" she chirped, her eyes twinkling in delight.

"At least you two were able to avoid getting in the papers again," Zack added with a playful wink.

Cloud turned his head away, trying his best to cover the fact that his cheeks were growing warmer, but it was no use. It'd only be a matter of time until—

"Aw, look Aerith! Our Cloudie's _blushing_!"

Zack laughed again as Aerith giggled behind her hand, her eyes closing merrily. Cloud sighed quietly to himself, silently surrendering to his friends' merciless teasing. They'd stop eventually (he hoped.)

When his laughter died down, Zack cleared his throat, crossing his arms over his chest. "But in all seriousness, Cloud, you realize Tifa got the rights and not us, right?"

Cloud glanced over his shoulder, looking towards Tifa who continued to politely converse with other guests of the party. "I know."

"You know Sephiroth's going to let us have it when we go in the office Monday, right? Not to mention you'll be out of a job by Monday afternoon!"

Cloud gave a small shrug, looking towards the ground absently. "It doesn't matter."

Zack gave his friend a quizzical look. "It doesn't—what? Cloud, you've spent the last decade working to get to where you're at today!"

"For one reason," Cloud replied, lifting his gaze towards Zack. "This… 'high society' life never made sense to me. These people have more money than they know what to do with. They fake their smiles and appearances all to get more money or higher status. In the end, they're never satisfied."

"Maybe, but…" he mumbled with a frown.

"There are other jobs out there," Aerith added, placing her hand in Zack's. "It's his decision."

Zack shifted his eyes from Aerith to Cloud. "Are you sure?" he asked. "It's not too late to go to Gast and get him to change his mind. Nothing's been put in writing."

Cloud looked away, glancing at the crowd in the other room. "At first I thought I wanted validation from these people. To be acknowledged as one of them." His eyes fixed on a certain brunette in the middle of the crowd. "But then I realized… it wasn't their attention I wanted."

Tifa gave a few more smiles before the guests began giving goodbyes. She accepted the hugs the women gave her and thanked the "congratulations" tossed towards her. When the last guest turned their back to her, her smile dropped from her face as she let out a heavy sigh, running a hand through her hair.

She looked towards Cloud's direction, giving him a wide, relieved smile when her gaze fell on him. His stomach twisted at the sight of her smile, but it wasn't a feeling of discomfort—instead it was something pleasant, something that made him feel lighter, calmer.

"If that's what you want," Zack said, scratching the back of his head before shrugging. "It's up to you. We'll see you back at the house later, yeah?"

Cloud nodded, watching Zack and Aerith leave before he turned his attention to the tiled floor below him.

* * *

><p>"Congratulations once again," a voice said behind her.<p>

Tifa glanced over her shoulder, a smile falling on her face as she turned around. "Gast! I'm glad I found you. Can we speak in private—?"

"Ah, already thinking about business at your own celebration party," said Gast, taking a sip of champagne from his glass. "No need to worry now, Tifa. We'll discuss all the legal technicalities in my office tomorrow."

"But—" Tifa began, but he dismissed her sentence with a wave of his hand.

"We'll discuss it tomorrow," he repeated, beaming a bright smile. "In the meantime, go, mingle! Enjoy yourself." He rose his glass to her before taking another sip and walking away to speak with other guests.

Tifa watched him leave before she sighed and relented, deciding she would have to wait until tomorrow, as Gast clearly wasn't going to listen to her tonight.

"What's wrong?"

Tifa jumped at the sound of the low voice, turning her head and glancing at the source. "Cloud! What are you doing here?" Her eyes fell on the bare skin of his chest, visible from the deep v of his black cutaway coat. A heated blush spread across her cheeks as she grabbed both sides of his shirt and held them together. "Your shirt is still… ruined…"

He shook his head. "It's not that bad. Is something wrong?"

She glanced up at him. "Yes, but I'll fix it tomorrow."

He nodded, then quietly studied her face. "You look ready to leave."

She blinked before looking around her, noting the party was beginning to die down as guests began to say goodbye to one another. A tired smile crossed her ruby lips as she met his eyes. "Yeah. It's been a long night."

He nodded, looking towards the exit before he removed her grip from his shirt, only to grab her hand and hold it as he began to lead the way out. Tifa's eyebrows rose as she looked at their intertwined hands, her heart skipping a beat when his hand gave hers the smallest squeeze, as though assuring his grip was secure.

When they reached his service car, he opened the door for her, never releasing her hand until she slid into her seat. It wasn't until he let go that Tifa realized how big and warm his hand was. The idea that he automatically reached for her hand thrilled her.

"Go," Cloud told the driver when he settled in himself. He glanced at the girl beside him, noting the distant look in her eyes. "Tifa," he called, watching her flinch and blink before she turned her face towards him. "What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing! I just…" She paused for a moment, her gaze wavering to the side. "Cloud, you know it wasn't my intention to secure the project rights for myself, right?"

"I know," he answered her.

"I'll fix it," Tifa added. "Tomorrow, when I go to meet Gast, I'll convince him to give the rights to you—"

"Tifa," Cloud interrupted, shaking his head. "You don't have to do that."

She frowned. "Yes I do! What about your job? Without the rights, won't you get fired?"

The man shrugged, looking passed her and out the window. "Don't worry about it."

"But Cloud…" she mumbled, looking down at the empty space between them. "You're going to lose your job because of me, and you expect me not to worry about it?"

Silence settled between them. Instead of breaking it, Cloud lifted his hand, twirling a strand of silky brunette hair around his finger. Tifa's eyes softened as her shoulders slacked. Whether he realized it or not, he had shifted closer to her as his soft breath fanned her skin.

"Cloud…?" she murmured, her voice a soft whisper.

His eyes flickered to hers. Tifa found herself getting lost in the deep cerulean hues. His eyes were bright, holding an unreadable emotion, but his gaze was warm and unguarded.

On instinct, her eyes closed as she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his. Her audacity didn't occur to her until a moment later, and for a second she worried if she was being too bold, but her qualms dissipated when his hand buried itself in her hair, pressing her closer to him as he tilted his head and kissed her back.

A pleasurable chill shot down her spine when he pressed his mouth harder against hers. She hadn't intended the kiss to go deeper, but she couldn't pull away. His aura was powerful, his scent overbearing, drawing her in.

His tongue traced her lower lip, making her eyes squeeze tighter. She felt him shift, pulling her into his lap. His fingers pressed into her back, keeping her close. She melted into him, placing a hand against his cheek as she opened her mouth. His tongue immediately sought hers, and she felt herself getting dizzy with the rush of emotions coursing through her. His hands slid down her sides while hers squeezed on his shoulders. He grunted when she unconsciously moved her hips against his while one of her hands grabbed the nape of his neck.

Tifa jerked when she heard the car door open. She pulled away from Cloud's lips, her eyes fluttering open.

"We've arrived at 7th Heaven, sir," said the driver.

Tifa's cheeks burned as she breathed in gulps of air, her hands resting against Cloud's chest as she stared at his collarbone.

"I—tomorrow—um…" she mumbled, feeling her face grow even hotter. Beneath her hands, she felt Cloud's chest rising and falling quickly as he too caught his breath in heavy pants.

"Yeah, tomorrow," he breathed, loosening his grip on her.

The heat of her blush traveled down her neck as Tifa moved off Cloud, running a hand down the length of her hair.

"Well, um—goodnight," she said, mustering a smile.

Cloud paused, regarding her for a moment before leaning over and kissing her mouth softly, running the back of his hand slowly down her soft cheek.

"Goodnight," he murmured against her lips, locking his sharp cerulean eyes with her own.

Her heart raced in her chest so fast it made her lightheaded. She mumbled incoherently before remembering to breathe and inhaled a slow, shaky breath.

"Come see me tomorrow?" she asked, placing her hand over his.

"I will," he answered, and her face brightened at the affection in his eyes.

She squeezed his hand before letting it go, moving away and taking the driver's hand as he helped her steady on her feet. She thanked him, glancing over her shoulder and giving Cloud a last smile before the driver closed the door.

As Tifa walked towards the front door, she became lost in her thoughts. It astounded her how simple kisses from that man made her knees weak and her head dizzy. In a moment she went from an independent woman to an incoherent mess.

But at the same time, the thought of him made her smile. She giggled softly to herself. She'd grown to love the man, to be in love with him, and the idea of that made her feel inexplicably happy. And as she thought of her feelings for him, she wondered his feelings for her. She knew he felt something for her, but did his feelings run as deep as hers?

She pondered the topic before a quick memory from earlier in the evening flashed across her mind—him, pressed against her, his body hot and hard, his lips against her skin and the words, _"I love you." _

She stopped her next step, clutching a hand to her chest. Had she imagined it? When she had tried asking him earlier, he never answered her, and for the moment she had forgotten she had asked as Gast's sudden declaration took priority in her mind.

She turned around, looking at Cloud's car and watching it drive away down the street. For a moment her heart sank, but then she remembered the affection in his eyes and the tingle on her lips whenever he kissed her. So maybe, just maybe, it wasn't her imagination. At least, that's what she wanted to believe.

_Tomorrow_, she resolved. _I'll ask him tomorrow_.

* * *

><p>The early morning haze crept through the window as Cloud grudgingly got out of bed. He quietly slipped into his business attire, making sure to be extra silent when passing Zack and Aerith's room.<p>

When he had arrived the previous evening, Zack and Aerith weren't home yet. Knowing this, Cloud went into Zack's room and turned off his morning alarm. He knew when he would go and see Sephiroth the next morning Zack would only worsen the situation by blurting his objections to whatever Sephiroth would have to say. Thus, Cloud decided it would be easier to face the man alone, without Zack's boisterous presence.

When Cloud arrived to the Shinra building, he ascended the many floors via elevator, waiting patiently as the machine came to a halt at his floor. He absentmindedly dragged his feet to the board meeting room, knowing full well that Sephiroth had heard the news of the bequeathing of the Jenova project rights despite the information only coming out just last night. Cloud didn't need a memo on his desk telling him his superior wanted to meet with him, he could practically sense it the minute he left the party last night.

When he reached the door, he sighed quietly before raising his fist and knocking twice.

"Come in," a low voice said.

Cloud stepped inside, closing the door behind him. Plants stood at each corner of the room, a large rectangular table residing in the middle. Large, cushioned chairs bordered the table as Sephiroth sat at the head of the table, speaking quietly with a few other Shinra board members.

When his eyes flickered over to Cloud, he motioned for the other men to leave the room. They quietly complied, filing together and leaving through the door in the back of the room.

"Cloud," Sephiroth greeted, his fingers lacing together as he propped his elbows on the table. "Have a seat."

"I'll stand," Cloud replied monotonously, remaining close to the door.

Sephiroth chuckled. "You seem very tense today, Cloud."

The blonde remained quiet, however the silence didn't last long. Sephiroth glanced at the documents laid out before him, shuffling a few papers before speaking once again.

"I must say, Cloud, I'm disappointed. I saw potential in you. You could have superseded Fair, perhaps even myself, but you couldn't even do one simple task. You let yourself get distracted, by a pretty face no less." Sephiroth clicked his tongue, his lip curling in a disdainful sneer. "We had an arrangement, Cloud. You know what happens next."

Cloud's eyes shifted to the corner of the room.

"However," Sephiroth continued, "I'm feeling merciful today. We have received a proposition: a business merger with a pharmaceutical company. A man calling himself Professor Hojo proposed the transition of mako fluid to small pills, to be sold."

"Mako?" Cloud said, lifting his head to look at the man. "Aren't the side effects of its injection still unknown?"

"You and Fair are fine."

"Fine," he repeated through clenched teeth, his hand curling into a fist. "I lost part of my memory for good—"

"A minor effect."

Cloud's eyebrows furrowed together as a heavy scowl set on his face. "Zack and I were prepped for those injections. It could do much more damage to the average person. It needs to be completely tested—"

"Estimated projection of sales is in the billions."

"You're willing to risk lives for money?"

"Billions, Cloud."

"Shinra will get sued."

"Not if you do your job right."

Cloud's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What are you talking about?"

Sephiroth smirked. "You are the Chief Financial Officer of Shinra. You're good with numbers. If there is a lawsuit, mix around the numbers. Give a fraction of the stated compensation."

"You… want me to corrupt federal records." Cloud frowned. "That could get me in federal prison."

Sephiroth leaned back in his seat. "You underestimate the extent of my influence, Cloud. Of Shinra's influence."

Cloud fell silent, his gaze hollow as he stared at the floor. "…I can't do that."

Sephiroth's eyes slimmed. "This is my only offer to keep your job."

A piercing glare settled on Cloud's features. "Then fire me. I won't risk innocent people's lives for a couple of bucks."

"Billions of dollars."

Cloud turned around, walking towards the door. "Not interested."

Sephiroth scoffed. "Pitiful."

Cloud clenched his jaw, grinding his teeth against one another before slamming the door behind him.

* * *

><p>Tifa hummed quietly to herself as she tore open one of several boxes, taking out the contents of new wines and liquors as she arranged them neatly on her bar. She heard the front door bell ring as it opened, catching her attention as she shifted her eyes towards her guest. When spiky blonde hair and blue eyes came into sight, a wide smile spread across her face.<p>

"You came," she said, putting down the _Pinot Noir _wine she was holding as she wiped her hands against one another. She walked towards him, only to frown when she saw his troubled face. "Cloud? Is something wrong?"

He lifted his gaze towards her, shaking his head. "It's fine."

Her eyes filled with concern as she laid her hand gently against his upper arm. "Is it because of what happened at work? I met with Gast today and told him I couldn't accept the rights. Was I too late?"

"Tifa, I told you didn't have to do that."

"I know, I know. But I wasn't the best choice for him anyway. He admitted that his choice was mostly influenced because I reminded him so much of his wife. I tried to suggest that you and Zack should receive them, but it sounded like he already had his mind made up. I'm sorry, but I can try again later today—"

"No," Cloud interrupted. "There's no point. The company won't take me back."

A heavy frown tugged Tifa's lips as she looked away. "I'm sorry. If it weren't for me—"

Cloud shook his head. "Don't be sorry," he told her. "It's not your fault. I quit."

"You quit?" Tifa repeated, her eyes wide to match her shocked tone. "Why?"

"They asked me to do something I didn't agree with," he answered, dismissing the topic with an offhand shrug. "It doesn't matter. I never liked it there anyway."

Her hand fell from his arm. "But… you worked so hard."

"For one reason," he murmured, lifting his eyes to meet hers.

"Are you sure that's what you want?" she asked.

"_You're_ what I want," he mumbled in a hushed tone that made her blush.

"Well, I _could_ use a business partner," she suggested, giving him a dazzling smile. "That is, if you're interested."

The corner of his mouth quirked up in a small smile, and she noticed his eyes holding that same emotion as the time he might've said the three words that kept her up the previous night.

Tifa bit her lip, wondering if she should bring up the topic. She saw Cloud grow confused as he lifted a brow. Knowing he was going to ask her what was wrong anyway, she decided to speak up.

"You know, Cloud," Tifa began, idly tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I was thinking about last night, when we were, you know… in the other room…"

He tilted his head, his faze puzzled. She sighed inwardly, knowing she would have to continue despite not wanting to, as she was horrible at things like this.

"It's just… when…" She paused as the memory of the previous night's events caused a hot blush to renew itself on her cheeks and set her heart racing. "I thought I heard something… three words… and… I just wanted to make sure it… wasn't my imagination…"

"Three words…?" he repeated, shifting his eyes to the left. Her teeth chewed her lower lip as her stomach flipped in anticipation.

It amazed her how suddenly his face, normally vague and hard to read, became an open book in a matter of seconds. She knew he knew what she was talking about when not only his eyes widened but his body physically flinched. Suddenly he looked nervous and bashful, avoiding her eyes at all cost as he turned his head and stared at the corner of the room. One of his arms bent back and rubbed the nape of his neck.

His shy reaction restored her confidence and almost made her feel giddy. A smile crept on her lips as she laced her fingers behind her back, leaning forward and tilting her head up to look at him. "So… it wasn't my imagination?"

He didn't respond, but the hints of red dusting his cheeks and the way he continued to avoid her eyes was all the answer she needed.

Her hand came in front of her mouth as she giggled softly, catching his attention.

"What?" he asked quietly.

She lowered her hand, giving him a beatific smile. "Ten years later and you're still shy around me?"

He blinked at her, and she laughed once again before throwing her arms around his neck in a hug. "You're so dense, Cloud!"

"Dense?" he asked, his hands resting against her waist.

She leaned away, looking at his face, her brown eyes glowing in happiness. "You act embarrassed as if you said something bad. Don't you know by now? I…" She swallowed, her eyes coming to a close as she smiled brightly at him. "I love you too."

"You… you do?" he mumbled, his eyes wide in disbelief.

"Don't sound so surprised!" she chided playfully. "Rinoa and Aerith were right about you. You have a good heart. I'm sorry it took me so long to realize—"

Her eyes widened when she felt his mouth on hers, his arms crushing her body to his. Her hands tangled in his hair as she kissed him back, her heart racing even faster from the passion in his kiss.

The heat from his body surged through her, the tight grip of his rough hands on her making her head spin.

His tongue flicked over her lower lip, sending a delicious tingle down her spine. A soft moan escaped her throat as he explored her mouth and rubbed his tongue against her own.

His mouth slanted over hers, his hand gently tugging her hair to tilt her head back. Her hands grasped the collar of his black vest, clutching tight as she pressed her lips harder against his.

The need for air made her draw back as the two breathed heavily, his forehead resting hers. Both their eyes were heavy-lidded, dark with raw desire as the rush from the previous night coursed through them once again.

Tifa licked her lips, watching the way Cloud's eyes were trained on her mouth.

The glare from the window reminded her they were in the middle of her bar. Realizing this, she took a step back, seeing his eyes glance up her face in confusion.

She smiled, grabbing his hand and almost dashing up the stairs. When he realized what she was doing, he wrapped his arms around her waist, making her squeal in surprise as he hoisted her over his shoulder and immediately ascended the stairs in a few long strides.

Following her direction, he opened the door at the end of the hall, finding a decent sized room simply furnished with a bed, dresser, mirror and nightstand.

When Cloud reached the bed he gently lowered her against it. Tifa grinned as she grabbed his vest, pulling him on top of her as she shifted back against the mattress.

He propped an arm on either side of her head, looming over her as he kissed her deeply. Her hands ran up the lengths of his toned arms to the middle of his vest, grabbing the zipper and rapidly shoving it down. He quickly pushed himself off her, pulling the vest off his body before he captured her lips once more.

She pushed her tongue in his mouth while running her hand down his toned chest, his hot skin only adding to the heat building inside her.

Wrapping a leg around his hip, she pushed his pelvis into her. She bit her lip as Cloud groaned softly, his eyes squeezing tight as he panted.

His head dipped into the curve of his jaw. She gasped as his hot tongue pressed against her skin, flicking her earlobe before running down her neck. Her hand held the back of his head as he trailed kisses down her collarbone, her breath quickening when he dipped his tongue between her cleavage.

He placed his hands on her breasts, massaging the tender flesh as Tifa moaned, squirming beneath him. He sucked her pulse point as she arched her back, pushing her chest into his kneading hands.

Her cheeks flushed dark as she grabbed the hem of her white shirt, pulling it over her head and tossing it off. She unhooked her bra as Cloud pulled the straps down her arms before throwing it on the ground with her shirt.

His eyes were dark yet glowing, glinting with hunger. Tifa pulled his head down and kissed him, moaning into his mouth as he pressed her breasts together before resuming his rhythmic squeezes. The pads of his thumbs brushed over her hardening nipples before pinching tight, making her squeak and thrash her head back.

He lowered his head to her chest, drawing wet patterns on her skin with his tongue.

"Ahh…" she whimpered, turning her head to the side. His eyes glanced at her face as he drew a sensitive peak into his mouth, sucking hard.

The hand against his hair pushed his face deeper into her as she moaned his name. Her eyes shut tight, breathing hard as his tongue circled the rosy bud and nipped at it with his teeth.

He kissed the tip before moving to her other breast, squeezing the creamy flesh tight as Tifa continued to squirm and whimper.

He took his free hand and dropped it between her legs. She gasped when he pressed his fingers against her, running a quick circular motion against the thin fabric of her panties.

He kissed down her stomach before removing her skirt and panties in a swift fluid motion. She panted heavily as Cloud ran his hands slowly up her legs from her ankles to her thighs. She blushed as he eyed her center, looking as though he were admiring a fine painting.

"D-Don't _stare _like that," she mumbled, biting her lip as she stared at the ceiling.

Cloud blinked, lifting his gaze to her face. Her hair fanned out beneath her, her rosy cheeks, kiss swollen lips and heaving chest—everything about her pushed him over the edge.

Her modesty only added to her appeal. He leaned over her, putting a hand beside her face as he turned her face to him and kissed her hungrily.

"Beautiful," he murmured, looking at her large brown eyes. "So beautiful."

He pushed two fingers inside her, making her mouth fall open as she cried out. Her hips bucked as she lifted her lower body off the mattress. He shoved his fingers in and out of her in a rhythmic pace, muffling her moans with his tongue against hers.

"Mm—ahh—"

Her eyes shut tight as Cloud kissed her neck, rubbing his thumb against her clit. She whimpered as one arm wrapped around his neck, the other reaching down and grabbing his hand, pushing it deeper into her.

Heat coiled in her stomach until it exploded, making her arch her body against his as she cried out. He kissed her cheek as her body shuddered, her breathing labored.

She reached up and kissed him, tugging his lower lip between her teeth as her hands shucked his pants down his legs.

"Tifa—"

He closed one eye and groaned when her hand squeezed his hard length, hot and throbbing against her palm.

She smiled at him under heavy lashes as his breaths became short and uneven, his chest rising and falling quickly. His forehead rested against her shoulder as she trailed kisses from his temple to his neck, her thumb rubbing the slit at the tip before running her hand down once more.

The nails of his hand dug into her hip as his breath fanned her skin. "Ngh, Tifa…" he groaned, tilting his head back. Her hand was heavenly, soft and cool against his skin.

She positioned him at her entrance, matching his heavy breathing as she looked into his eyes.

"Are you… sure?" Cloud asked, his voice thick and hoarse.

She nodded almost too eagerly, pressing her lips against his. "I love you," she whispered, the tips of her fingers against his cheek.

He brushed the hair from her eyes, tenderly brushing his thumb against her soft cheek. Slowly he bore his weight on her, moving his hips forward, burying himself inside her.

She gasped as his eyes glazed over, his mouth falling open slightly. Her nails dug into his shoulders when he pulled out. When he pushed back in, a loud moan escaped her as her muscles clenched around him.

He kissed her as he picked up his pace, thrusting fast and deep making her cry out his name. He grunted with each thrust as her legs wrapped around him, moving in sync with him as she ground her hips viciously against him.

He slammed roughly into her and she screamed. Her walls tightened around him, making him growl her name. He shifted her legs over his shoulder and continued pounding into her. Tifa thrashed her head back, moaning loudly as the new angle filled her entirely.

"Ohh—" she whined, gripping the sheets tightly beneath her. Cloud panted heavily, groaning. He pressed his chest against hers, kissing her deeply as she ran her hands through his hair.

He swiveled his hips in a circular motion before he drove himself into her, his hand coming up and squeezing her breast that bounced with every thrust. She cried out as pressure began to build up within her, mounting higher and higher as she grew closer to her peak. She clutched the pillow behind her head, her eyes blissfully closed as she whimpered. Cloud ran his tongue from her neck to her cheek, mumbling her name and other nothings into ear with his heavy pants.

A thin sheet of sweat coated both of their bodies as his slams became harder and deeper. Tifa's moans became louder and higher before she came long and hard, her tightened muscles causing a delicious spasm to shoot down his spine as he groaned loudly. He gave a few final thrusts before he pulled himself completely out of her, rolling off of her to the side as their labored breathing filled the room.

A smile curved Tifa's lips as she shifted on her side, resting a palm in the center of Cloud's chest as she kissed his cheek.

"Amazing," she whispered, watching him turn his head towards her as he looked at her with half-lidded eyes.

He chuckled as a small smile crossed his features, closing his eyes as Tifa lightly ran her fingers from his hair to his jaw. She kissed him soundly on the mouth, pulling back until she felt a hand at the back of her head pushing her lips back to his. His tongue swept into her mouth, massaging hers, making that same ache boil inside her once more.

When he pulled away, her eyes fluttered open, surprised to find the same glint glowing in his deep cerulean eyes and a familiar throbbing pressure at her hip.

"Again?" she asked, eyebrows rising incredulously. "Already?"

"You have no idea," he answered, a wicked gleam in his eye.

She laughed as he rolled on top of her once more, tangling his legs with hers as he kissed her.

* * *

><p>The front door bell chimed as the door opened, but the sound went unheard by Cloud and Tifa as they stood by the bar counter.<p>

"Cloud, can you hand me the _Adulam Sauvignon Blanc_?" Tifa asked as she continued to unpack her newly arrived stock.

Cloud blinked, glancing at the variety of bottles in the box. "The what?"

"The _Adulam Sauvignon Blanc_."

"Uh…" The bottles clinked together as he rustled through them. "This one?"

"No, it's this one. That's a red wine. Blanc means white, not red." Tifa shook her head jokingly. "Didn't going to all those fancy parties all these years teach you anything?"

Cloud shrugged. "Never paid attention. Only Aerith knew stuff like that."

"Well, in this business you're going to have to learn. It's very important to—hey, what are you doing? Cloud!" She burst out laughing, swatting his hands away from her. "Stop it! You know I'm ticklish there!"

He smirked. "I know. I remember."

His hands continued to tickle her sides as she squirmed away from him, vainly pushing him back through her giggles. She ended up cornering herself against the counter as his hips locked her in.

"Okay, okay! I give up! I'll handle the wine!" To her relief, his hands finally stopped as they settled on her sides. Her laughter died down and she panted softly, keeping her smile when he pressed small kisses against her neck.

"If you didn't want to learn about wine you could've just said so," she said teasingly, lightly pulling a spike of his hair.

He shrugged, lifting his head to capture her lips. She sighed and melted into him, tilting her head as her other head rested against the back of his neck.

"Well, looks like you two can't keep your hands off each other."

The pair pulled apart from each other, turning their attention to the guests.

"Zack! Aerith!" Tifa greeted happily, untangling herself from Cloud's arms as she gave Aerith a hug.

"Figured you'd be here," Zack added. "And by the way Cloud, thanks for letting your best friend know that you quit and decided to move in with Tifa here." He gave a playful scowl as he lightly shoved the blonde's shoulder. "Would it have hurt to use a phone? I know you hate those things, but they're pretty useful in sharing information quickly!"

"I was going to tell you," Cloud said, scratching the back of his head.

"Oh yeah? I call bullshit, Strife!" He gave his back to him, crossing his arms over his chest. "And here I thought, after all those years of friendship, you'd at least give me the _decency_ of a heads up in your drastic life changes—!"

"Don't be so dramatic, Zack," Aerith said, rolling her eyes as Tifa stifled her giggles.

"Aw, Aerith!" he cried, pouting.

"We figured you two would be in your 'honeymoon' stage, so we let you be for a few weeks," Aerith explained, her brilliant green eyes shining. "But Zack was getting restless, and I knew you would be here, Cloud, so here we are."

"They told me what happened when I came to the office that day," Zack added. "I don't blame you. What they wanted to do, risking people's lives like that for money, it's ridiculous. I just wish you would've let me know so we could have quit together, and maybe give a piece of my mind to Sephiroth—"

"You quit too?" Cloud asked.

Zack nodded. "You bet I did. No way was I going to work for a company I didn't agree with. Besides, you know I barely put up with that place anyway. Without you what would be my motivation for going to work every day? Because we both know it sure as hell wouldn't be _Sephiroth_."

Cloud chuckled. Typical Zack.

"So, Tifa," Aerith piped in, glancing at the girl. "I'm thinking of opening a flower shop. I saw a lease for some space not too far from here."

"Sounds like a wonderful idea," Tifa replied with a wide smile.

"You bet it is!" said Zack. "After guys leave your bar good and drunk, they'll be looking for flowers to give their girls or to give to try and get lucky, and they'll be so wasted they won't even know they're getting ripped off! It's perfect!"

"That's not why I'm opening the shop," Aerith said, but despite her insisting tone she couldn't help but laugh with the others.

"I think this could be a great opportunity for a partner business," Zack chirped, grinning widely.

"Maybe," Tifa replied, mirroring his cheery smile.

"You know, Teef, sometimes in life you've gotta gamble and accept the risks. Hell, come to think of it, none of this would have happened if I hadn't dragged Cloud's ass to the casino that night!"

Tifa smiled, leaning into Cloud's side. "I'll think about it."

"A business merger doesn't mean free drinks, Zack."

"Shh! Don't give away one of my terms, Cloud!"

Aerith laughed as the boys began to argue. "Some things never change, hm?"

Tifa giggled. "Nope. They never will."

* * *

><p><strong>THE END<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>: First of all, congratulations! You've reached the end of the story!

I can't begin to stress enough how much I appreciate all the reviews, favorites and alerts on this story. I honestly wasn't expecting that much since the FFVII category doesn't get much reviews anyway, especially considering this is an M story which eliminates a lot of the audience, but you guys flattered me so much with your reviews!

Sorry if this feels like a random ending. I know some of you wanted me to continue writing but if I had extended the story, updates would be really dragged and the quality of the plot probably would have deteriorated. And um, sorry if this last chapter isn't that good. I probably shouldn't say this, but I was thinking of completely different characters most of the time I was writing this. Wasn't good for the imagination considering it made it hard to keep character. So if the characters seem really OOC like "god what is wrong with you they are so OOC," I apologize.

In other news, it's 5:50 AM right now. HAPPY NEW YEAR! Fun fact, I started this story on January 1st, 2012 and here I am, concluding it on January 1st, 2013. Pretty freaking epic I say. 12 chapters, 50,000 words later, here we are.

I love you all! Take care and have a prosperous new year!


End file.
